Shadow Phantom
by YinYangWriter
Summary: Part 5 of 5 of L&S epilogue. Dan Phantom has escaped and Team Phantom is up to their necks in trouble. At least they have the help of two special girls who have saved the world before. But can they stop Dan Phantom together?
1. Pieces in Place

**This is the fourteenth installment of the **_**Light and Shadow **_**series and the fifth in the epilogue crossover series. This is also the final installment of **_**Light and Shadow**_**; I will not be doing any more with these OC's. I do not own **_**Code: LYOKO**_** or **_**Danny Phantom**_**, but the OC's of Eva Maverick and Kayla Olson are mine. Since this is the last installment, I will be adding thank you's, tidbits regarding the original characters, what inspired me to come up with this series and more in the author's notes.**

**NOTE: If you are just finding this series and wish to read the other installments, go to my profile page and I have listed all the installments in order under the _Light and Shadow_ column.**

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><p>Eva had to admit that her favorite sector in LYOKO was the mountain sector. She enjoyed the heights, the narrow paths, the rocks, mountains, and clouds that gave her many places to hide. It was a rush, especially when she was riding her overboard.<p>

Right now they had to focus on the task at hand. Aelita had to get to a heavily guarded tower. They were all there: Yumi, Ulrich, Odd, Aelita, Kayla, William, Jeremy, and Eva. Franz was at the controls, telling them where to go. All of them were using their vehicles, Eva keeping close to Aelita as she rode on the over-wing with Yumi.

"I see the tower!" said Jeremy, pointing to the distance.

The rest of them could make out the tower.

"Incoming hornets from behind," said Franz.

"Odd! Eva! You take the hornets," said Ulrich. "We'll get Aelita to the tower."

Eva nodded. She and Odd fell back. They turned around and saw several hornets headed their way. Eva and Odd fired their attacks at them, easily dispatching two of them. Odd did an aerial spin and got off another shot at a hornet. Eva barely dodged one. She growled and possessed it. She shot another and jumped out of the hornet she was possessing, landing on her overboard again.

"Nice one, Phantasm!" yelled Odd.

"Let's help the others," said Eva.

The two of them flew back to the rest of the LYOKO warriors who were battling a couple of tarantulas. It did not take long for them to destroy them.

"All right, Aelita," said Jeremy. "The tower's all yours."

Aelita began running for the tower.

Eva had a bad feeling about this. One word rang in her head: Trap. "Aelita, wait!" she shouted.

A blast of green energy came out of the tower and hit Aelita square in the chest. She let out a scream and was knocked back. She lay on the ground, lifeless.

"Aelita!" screamed Jeremy, running over to her.

Kayla joined him.

"What is going on?" asked Franz.

Kayla had a look of horror on her face. "Aelita's dead!" she said, unable to bring tears to her eyes from the shock of what happened.

A man walked out of the tower. He wore a black shirt with white sleeves, a white logo of a P inside a D on his chest, a cape that was white on one side and black on the other, black gloves, a white belt, black pants, and white boots. His skin was bluish, his white hair like fire, and he had a scruff of a white goatee. His ears were pointed and his grin was demonic. His eyes were red and full of sadistic glee.

The sky went dark and a strong wind began to blow.

"Who is that?" asked Ulrich, drawing his sabers.

The man turned to Eva. He put his hand out to her. "Just watch," he told her.

The man pointed his finger at William. A blast of green shot from his finger. William hit the ground dead.

"No!" screamed Kayla.

Eva tried to move, but she could not. She was frozen to the spot. The man was laughing, his voice echoing. Eva was forced to watch her friends be killed by this fiend one by one, and she could do nothing to stop it. Ulrich, Yumi, Odd, Jeremy, and Kayla were all shot and killed by him. Eva continued to watch as the scene changed to school and he leveled the campus with a single blast of energy, killing everyone inside. The scene switched once more and Ben, Nico, Chris, and Sophie were murdered as well. The entire time this murderous monster was laughing.

He turned to her. He had a pleased smirk plastered on his face. "Just like Mackenzie. If you couldn't save her, what made you think you could save them?"

He shot Eva in the chest.

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><p>Eva sat up so quickly in bed her head smacked off the ceiling. She grabbed the knife she hid under her pillow and jumped out of her bunk. She was breathing heavily as she looked around for any threat. There was nothing.<p>

Eva was on one of the Subdigitals' two tour buses. She pulled back the curtain on Aelita's bunk just a bit to see her friend with Mr. Puck under one arm. Eva then knelt down and checked on Sophie. Both of them were unharmed and sleeping peacefully. Eva stashed her knife back under her pillow, taking notice that the bus was moving. She leaned against her bunk and put her face in her hands.

They had been on the road for longer than they had anticipated. School had started both at Kadic and schools all over America. Eva really didn't care about that since she had graduated. Aelita was having private tutoring sessions with her father and Jeremy was filling her in on everything she missed. Eva was giving her additional help as well. Sophie told them that they probably wouldn't be getting back to France until late September.

Eva rubbed her eyes again. There was no way she was going back to sleep after a dream like that. She wasn't so sure it was a dream. It was more like a warning. The more Eva thought about it, the more she felt uneasy.

She picked up a button-down shirt she kept at the foot of her bunk and pulled it over her black camisole. It had been so hot these past few weeks that Eva found herself wearing only her camisole and a pair of boy shorts to bed instead of her usual capris and shoes. Eva also picked up Nicolette, her plush elephant, a gift from Nicolas.

Eva walked out of the bedroom area and into the living area of the bus. It was the middle of the night and they were on a highway. As she walked to the front of the bus, Eva could see the second Subdigitals' bus ahead of them.

"Where are we?" Eva asked the bus driver.

The bus driver jumped. "I wasn't expecting you to be up," she said.

"Sorry, Jean," said Eva.

"We are in Illinois," said Jean.

"Illinois," Eva repeated.

Jean nodded. "That's right. We'll probably have to stop and get fuel soon. The nearest town is about twenty miles ahead of us. It's called Amity Park. I think we may be stopping there for a day or two."

"Why?" asked Eva.

"Chris didn't tell you?" asked Jean.

Eva's eyes narrowed. "Tell me what?"

"I guess he didn't," said Jean. "He's been a little worried about you. Aelita, too, but mostly you. He and his uncle, your father, have been talking back and forth. Jim thinks you need some stability and that going on this tour was not such a good idea. Chris said something to Sophie about staying a few days in one town to take it easy. Amity Park is said to be a nice place and we may be staying there for a day or so."

Eva thought for a moment. She pictured the schedule that Sophie kept in her day planner. There were a few concerts that had several days in between shows, far more time than needed to get there.

"Are you going to stay up?" asked Jean. "You can watch television if you want."

"I have other things I can do," said Eva. "Amity Park, yes?"

"Yes," said Jean. She smiled. "Your English is so much better than when I first met you."

"Or maybe you've learned to understand my accent," said Eva.

"Maybe that, too," said Jean. "But there's no denying it, Eva, you are very intelligent."

The corners of Eva's lips twitched and she went back to sit on the sofa. Her laptop was right where she left it. It was a gift from the band when they saw that Eva wanted to use Aelita's laptop when Aelita had to make new music. Eva opened it and searched Amity Park. Jean said they had twenty miles until they reached it, meaning Eva did not have long to learn about it.

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><p>A ghost in a violet cloak was busy viewing a brunette teenage girl who had just sat down with her laptop in her lap. Clockwork did not turn away as another ghost entered the room.<p>

"It is done?" Clockwork asked the new arrival.

Nocturn scoffed. "You know everything, Clockwork," said the ghost of dreams.

"That I do," said Clockwork cooly. "But I asked you a question."

Nocturn scowled. "It's done, down to the last detail, as instructed," Nocturn said.

Clockwork said nothing as he shifted from a young man to an old man.

"I am curious, however," said Nocturn. "Why did you want me to give that girl such a horrible nightmare?"

"You had your fill of the others, didn't you?" asked Clockwork. "Why concern yourself with the nightmare of one?"

"Considering it took every ounce of dream energy I drained from the others to keep her asleep, I would like an answer," said Nocturn.

"I do not need to give you an answer, Nocturn," said Clockwork. "Your task is done. I have no need of you any longer."

Nocturn had half a mind to tell Clockwork off, but it would have been futile. Instead, Nocturn wished Clockwork a good day and left.

Clockwork shifted into his infant form. The shadows stirred behind him. There was a small ghost hiding in the dark that Nocturn failed to notice.

"You need not fear any harm from Nocturn, child," said Clockwork, glancing over his shoulder. "He is no threat. Now is your time to help. I know you have been waiting for this for a long time, but remember the rules: you may not reveal yourself in any form until the time has come, and you will know when that time is."

The small ghost nodded and disappeared.

Clockwork turned back to the screen. "The pieces are in place," he said to no one in particular. "Now it is all a matter of watching it play out."

In another room on a shelf, the Fenton Thermos that contained the most evil and dangerous ghost in the Ghost Zone began to glow.

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><p><strong>The Birth of Eva and Kayla<strong>

**The characters of Eva and Kayla were first created in the winter/spring of 2010 when my friend and I were working on a project. Back then the _Light and Shadow_ idea hadn't come to mind. We were creating characters based on us. I asked her what she thought I looked like (a Sylvia, an Erica, that sort of thing) and she didn't even hesitate when she said I looked like an Eva. Hers was Kayla. It wasn't until that summer's end that we began planning fan fiction ideas together and we thought we would like to be in a _Code: LYOKO_ fan fiction. After adjusting the characters slightly, I wrote _Light and Shadow_, intending it to be just a single story. We see how that turned out. XD**


	2. First Impressions

**Eva, Part 1**

**When I made the adjustments for the characters, I decided I wanted Eva to be an extreme character. I wanted her to be able to stand on her own two feet and be able to lead if she needed to, but she did not want to take charge of everything. Since she was the shadow part in the _Light and Shadow_ series, I wanted her to be as dark as I could get her, so I gave her a twisted history with her being abused, her sister dying, and Eva blaming herself the death. At the same time, I did not want her to be so dark that she had no hope for the future. I wanted to show that she could still love and make friends. As the series went on, I wanted to show that Eva was strong enough to overcome her problems and make positive changes.**

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><p>Aelita and Sophie were surprised to see Eva up at five in the morning. The buses had arrived in Amity Park and were searching for a place to refuel and park for a few days.<p>

"Any reason you are up early?" asked Aelita.

"Couldn't sleep," Eva replied simply.

"What was it this time?" asked Aelita. "Your head or your shoulder?"

"Neither," said Eva. "I just couldn't sleep. Don't worry about it, Princess."

"Well, since you're up, do you want to work on our songs?" asked Aelita.

Aelita and Eva were the opening act for the Subdigitals. They called themselves L'Elfe et le Fantasme — the Elf and the Phantasm. Aelita would play her techno music and Eva would either sing, play her bass, or have a little hip-hop fun on stage. While they were on the road, Aelita and Eva made several songs together using software Aelita had on her computer and recording different sounds from everyday life and augmenting them. Their music was a bit different than anything they ever heard of. One song would be happy and peppy and then the next would be aggressive and a bit dark. It was obvious who created which song and the song they always preformed first was their intro, giving the crowd a taste of what they were about.

Chris even got them time in a studio for a day to record some of their music to send home and share with their friends. It was a better quality than the simple video recorded segments they got during concerts that Odd had posted on the internet. Odd kept them informed on their ratings and said that they currently were a music sensation. Chris also went as far as getting the songs up on an internet music store for the girls to have a little extra income. The record company that the Subdigitals used was interested in L'Elfe et le Fantasme having a recording contract with them. They thought they were going a little too far.

"I want coffee first," said Eva.

Aelita smiled. "I doubt there's a café open yet." She looked out the window. "Where are we, anyway?"

"Amity Park, Illinois," answered Eva.

"What do you know about it?" asked Aelita.

Eva had taken to researching every city they visited for the best places to eat, the sights to see, and how to avoid unwanted fans, like the men in black. They hadn't had a problem with them since they left New York, but Eva was still paranoid about it.

"Not much," said Eva. "I did several types of searches and found very little. Too little, in fact. It's almost like this place is part of a cover-up."

"I think you've been reading too many spy novels and watching too much American television," said Aelita.

"Those American crime shows have a point," said Eva. "I've lived by some of those rules, remember?" She shook her head. "There is just something bugging me. I don't like how much information I have about this place."

"Maybe it's because it's a small city," said Aelita.

Eva went over to her laptop and pulled up a blog page. "This is the only site with this amount of information."

"It's a blog," said Aelita. She took a closer look at the site address. "I'm not sure how much we can trust something called /phantomwatch."

"It says that the town is full of ghosts and ghost attacks are a part of daily life," said Eva.

"It's a blog!" Aelita said again. "It's probably all fiction."

"What if it's not?" asked Eva.

"Eva, ghosts don't exist," said Aelita.

"And neither do evil artificial intelligence programs in virtual universes where teenagers can step into scanners and be transported to computer realms and gain special powers," Eva said sardonically.

Aelita flinched at the remark. "Point taken," she said. Eva was really on edge about this, Aelita realized. Maybe it had to do with something in her dream. "What else does it say?"

Eva pulled up a page that had a list of ghosts. They were various shapes and sizes and some of them appeared very human. There was also a link at the top of the page. Eva clicked on it. It took her to a page with a large image of a boy with white hair and unnatural green eyes wearing a black and white hazmat suit with a logo of a ghostly letter D with a P inside.

Eva recognized the logo from her dream. She kept herself from showing her fear outwardly. The logo was the same, but the monster in her dream was older and looked different.

"'Danny Phantom: Amity Park's Greatest Mystery. Hero or Villain?'" read Eva.

"He can't be any older than us," said Aelita in surprise.

"I'm not surprised," said Eva. "Look at what we have accomplished."

"Yes," agreed Aelita. She turned from the screen to Eva. Aelita saw that Eva was studying it. "What do you think about him?"

"I'm not sure," said Eva. "It's hard to get such information from a picture."

"A picture's worth a thousand words," said Aelita. "And I thought you could tell if a person was good or bad just by looking at their eyes?"

"I can, but a picture does not tell me," said Eva. "I need to see him for myself."

"Face to face?" asked Aelita.

"I just need to be close enough to see his eyes," said Eva. "That's all."

Aelita turned back to the laptop screen and looked through the blog pages. She smiled. "I don't know about you, but I don't think I could go over our music after looking at this."

"You think so?" asked Eva, giving a small smile.

"Do you want to go for a walk?" asked Aelita. "I know you must be restless."

Eva's smile widened slightly. Aelita was beginning to know her as well as Kayla.

Aelita went back to the bedroom area and got dressed. She changed from her pajamas into a light pink tank top, dark pink cropped vest, pink shorts, and pink boots. Eva soon joined her, pulling on a black T-shirt and a pair of baggy jeans, her signature outfit. She put a black messenger bag over her shoulder. The bag contained everything that Eva would need in an emergency: first aid supplies, various weapons, two pairs of gloves — one pair fingerless and one pair leather — extra clothes, and her skull mask she wore when she went to the underground street dancing competitions back home. Eva also had her lock picks in her wallet and her pocketknife hidden in her pant's pocket. Life on the streets and time as a LYOKO warrior taught her never to go anywhere unprepared.

Eva and Aelita left the buses with the video recorder. They needed to update their video diary to send to the others before Odd had a tantrum over them just sending concert footage instead of the juicy bits that happened behind the scenes.

The streetlights were still on and some people were getting up and getting ready for work. It was quiet for the most part. The two music artists walked down a sidewalk. Eva carried the video recorder as they walked around the block. She walked backwards, filming Aelita.

Aelita began speaking in French. "Hello, everyone. Here we are in Amity Park, Illinois. It's about five thirty in the morning here. There's no one stirring except for this elf and this phantasm." Aelita giggled.

Eva turned the video recorder on herself. "They say Amity Park is haunted by many ghosts." She turned the video recorder back on Aelita.

"Whether it is or isn't, we're going to have fun here," said Aelita, giggling again.

There was a crash, almost like a car wreck. Aelita let out a scream and Eva grabbed her friend, the video recorder still in her hand.

"What the heck was that?" Eva asked.

There was a flash of bright green light behind them followed by an explosion and a yell of pain.

"That's back with Chris," said Eva. She started to run back to the buses.

"Eva, wait!" cried Aelita, following her.

Eva skidded to a stop when she saw the buses. Fifty yards away and twenty yards in the air was a robotic being with flaming green hair and a boy with white hair in a black and white hazmat suit. Eva recognized both of them from the blog.

Aelita caught up to Eva and saw the scene. She let out a gasp.

Eva whipped around to the buses. The rear axle of the bus that carried Chris and the guys was blown clean off and laying several yards away, bent and twisted. There was also a crater in the asphalt.

"Eva! Aelita!" shouted Nico.

The girls turned and saw him flagging them down. Eva gave Aelita a push in his direction and they ran, Eva a few steps back and looking over her shoulder at the two ghosts.

Nico pulled them behind a building. Ben, Chris, and Sophie were there as well. Eva looked around for the bus drivers, but did not see them.

"Is anyone hurt?" asked Eva.

"No, we're fine," said Sophie, her voice quivering.

"What the heck is going on?" asked Ben.

"A fight between ghosts," said Eva.

"Ghosts?" asked Nico.

Eva nodded.

"I will have your pelt on my wall!" roared the robotic ghost.

"Dude, you need to get another hobby," said the ghost boy.

The robot ghost snarled and shot missiles from his arm. The ghost boy dodged, but one exploded next to him, causing him to throw up his arms to shield himself. The robot ghost took that moment to pounce, slamming the ghost boy into the ground and pinning him, creating another crater.

"We have to do something," said Aelita.

Ben grabbed her arm as she tried to run to the ghost boy. "Are you crazy? You'll be killed!"

Eva dropped her bag after pulling something out of it. She ran out of their hiding place.

"Eva!" shouted Chris. "Come back!"

Eva paid him no mind. In her hand was the disposable mobile that she and Aelita converted into a stun gun. She ran up to the robotic ghost and pressed the button on the mobile to activate it. She pressed it against the back of the ghost's neck. He let out a howl as several hundred volts went through his system. The robotic ghost abandoned the ghost boy and turned to Eva.

"You dare challenge me?" he snarled.

There was a blast of green that hit the robotic ghost and sent him flying.

"It's over, Skulker," said the ghost boy, pulling a thermos out of nowhere. He uncapped it and sucked the robotic ghost into it. He capped it again and gave a curt nod. He tucked the thermos behind his back and it disappeared. "Hey, thank. . ." The ghost boy turned to thank the one who helped him, but whoever it was was gone. "You?"

Eva had run back into the shadows before the ghost boy noticed her. She watched as he shrugged and took off. Before returning to the others, Eva hid her stun gun.

"What were you thinking?" Chris yelled at Eva.

Eva looked at him, her face neutral. "He needed help," she answered. "You weren't going to do anything."

"You could have been hurt," said Nico. "Even killed."

Chris ran his fingers through his bleached hair. "I have to tell Uncle Jim about this," he said.

"Go ahead," said Eva calmly.

"That's your attitude?" asked Ben.

"Yes," replied Eva. "It's not going to matter if I beg Chris not to call."

"You could show a bit of guilt," said Nico.

Eva turned to him. "It won't make a difference, will it?" she asked.

"Well, what are we going to do now?" asked Sophie. "One of our buses needs to be repaired."

"We can stay here for a few days," said Chris. "It's what we were planning on doing from the start."

It was at that time the police arrived. Eva was very uneasy around them. Aelita watched as Eva's dark eyes flicked from one officer to another. She became extremely agitated when a white van pulled up and two men in white suits and dark sunglasses stepped out.

"If they are government, we are getting out of here," Eva whispered to Aelita.

Aelita nodded. They reminded her too much of the men in black who were chasing her. She gripped Eva's wrist.

The men introduced themselves as Agent K and Agent O of the GiW, Guys in White. They said they were government ghost hunters. First they interviewed the band members and Sophie before turning their attention to Aelita and Eva. They became very interested when they heard that Eva helped the ghost boy.

"You helped Phantom?" Agent K asked.

"Yes," replied Eva.

"That was a very dangerous thing to do," said Agent O. "Phantom is one of the most dangerous ghosts in Amity Park. You're very lucky."

A limousine pulled up and a well-dressed man with long silver hair pulled into a ponytail got out. The agents turned their attention to the new arrival.

"Good morning, Mr. Mayor," said some of the officers.

"Are we done here?" asked Eva.

"Yes, we are," said Agent K.

The two agents walked away from Eva and Aelita and over to the mayor.

"What do you think?" asked Aelita. "Do you think Phantom is dangerous?"

"Dangerous, yes," said Eva. "But not malicious. I managed to get a look at his eyes. He has a good heart. He tries to do the right things." Eva turned to the mayor. "But I can't say the same for that gentleman."

Aelita regarded the mayor. He had stopped talking to the Guys in White and was now speaking to Sophie.

"He is hiding something," said Eva. "A dark secret for a dark heart. At the moment, I don't think we have to fear anything from him, but don't let your guard down."

"I won't," promised Aelita.

Sophie was beaming and thanking the mayor. The mayor asked her something and Sophie pointed at Aelita and Eva.

"Oh, don't send him over here," whispered Aelita.

"I'm here," said Eva. "Don't worry about it."

"What about your stun gun?" asked Aelita.

"I have my knife," Eva said out of the corner of her mouth as the mayor approached them.

Midnight blue eyes looked down at them as the mayor observed them. "Good morning, girls," he said. "My name is Vlad Masters. I am the mayor of Amity Park. I hear you two were very brave and you helped fight off a ghost."

Aelita could tell that the man was trying to flatter them. The trick may work on someone else, but she and Eva were not easily manipulated, especially Eva. Aelita shifted her grip so that she was now holding Eva's hand. Eva squeezed it hard. Something told Aelita that there was something else to all of this that Eva hadn't told her.

"Eva did the fighting," said Aelita.

"And all I did was create a distraction," Eva said.

Vlad smiled. "Your friend told me you two were to start school by now," he said. "The damage to the bus is going to take a few days to fix. I am offering you the chance to see what an American high school is like."

"Don't you need the school board's permission?" asked Aelita.

"That is an easy thing to get for me," said Vlad easily. "You can think of it as a cultural exchange program. I am sure you would like to see how an American high school really operates."

Aelita turned to Eva. "What do you think?" she asked in French.

Eva thought about it for a moment. "It'll be a change of pace," she said after a moment. "I wouldn't mind."

"Excellent," said Vlad. "I'll have arrangements made. You can go to school today. First bell is at eight o'clock."

The girls watched him walk away.

"I don't like him," said Aelita.

Eva grunted in agreement.

"What should we do?" asked Aelita.

"Go about things as normal teenagers," answered Eva. "All we need to do at this point is observe."

Aelita frowned. "Eva, I do not like where this is going. What is in your head? Are you planning something?"

Eva was quiet for a moment. "Planning, no," she answered. "It's just something doesn't sit right with me." She looked at the damaged bus. "I have a feeling that this is only the beginning."

* * *

><p>Eva and Aelita had to be at Casper High by seven to be introduced to the principal and get everything in order. Since they only had less than an hour to get ready, Aelita stopped at a café that was opened and brought croissants and drinks — mocha latte for Aelita and the strongest, darkest brew of coffee for Eva, no cream and no sugar.<p>

"How can you stand to drink that?" asked Aelita as Eva took a large gulp from the cup.

Eva made a face, half choking on her beverage. "Barely," she said. "Wow, this is strong!"

"That's what you wanted," said Aelita.

"Yeah, but this stuff doesn't need a cup," said Eva. "Wanna sip?"

"No, thank you," said Aelita. "Maybe with that you can stay awake all day."

Eva rewound the video from earlier. Her eyes widened. "We got the entire fight on camera."

"Really?" asked Aelita.

Eva replayed it.

"Now we have something of interest to send back to the others," said Aelita. "And I think I can isolate some of those sounds to use for my mixes."

* * *

><p>They went to the school and had everything sorted out. The principal, Ms. Ishiyama, was a little reluctant, but when Vlad said it would be a good way to introduce the students to a different culture, she was all for it.<p>

"You'll wait here until Mr. Lancer comes for you," said Principal Ishiyama.

Eva and Aelita sat in the principal's office and waited.

"Do you think she and Yumi are related?" asked Eva.

"Ishiyama is a common Japanese name," said Aelita.

At seven-thirty, an overweight, middle-aged man with thinning hair came in. He spent a moment speaking to Principal Ishiyama before turning to the girls.

"Miss Stones and Miss Morales, welcome to Casper High," he said.

"It's Maverick-Morales," corrected Eva.

"Maverick-Morales." The man hummed. "Has a certain ring to it. A rebel with morals. It is poetic in a way. I'm Mr. Lancer, vice-principal and English teacher. The students will be going to their classrooms soon," said Mr. Lancer. "We should get going ourselves." He went over to Principal Ishiyama's desk and took a sheet of paper from it. "This is your schedule for today. You both have the same classes at the same time so you can help each other out. I'm surprised your English is very good."

"We've been in America for three months," said Eva. "I should hope we are passing."

"With flying colors," said Mr. Lancer. "You will have my class at the end of the day."

"We'll see you later," said Eva. "Come on, Aelita."

* * *

><p>Danny closed his locker. He had just finished telling Sam and Tucker about his fight with Skulker and had mentioned his mysterious rescuer.<p>

"Are you sure?" asked Sam.

"Yeah, Sam," said Danny. "I don't know how else to explain it. It had to be another ghost."

"But your ghost sense didn't go off, did it?" asked Tucker.

The three of them were walking to their first class.

"I was a bit busy fighting off Skulker to notice," said Danny. "I don't know what else it would be."

"A good Samaritan," supplied Sam.

"Yeah, but who?" asked Danny. "It's not like some random person is going to come up in a middle of a ghost fight and help me."

"Valerie," said Tucker.

"She would have stuck around and shot me," said Danny.

"You have a point," said Tucker.

Danny sighed. "At least no one got hurt," he said.

"What about the people on the bus?" asked Sam.

"There was no one on it at the time," said Danny. "They were really freaked out. They weren't from around here."

The hallway they were in was a bit quieter. Danny and Tucker both heard faint music and looked around. They both turned to Sam. She had her headphones wrapped around her neck.

"Oh, that's me," she said, realizing that her MP3 Player was on.

"What are you listening to?" asked Tucker.

"They're called L'Elfe et le Fantasme," said Sam. "They're this weird techno duo from France. They just came on the scene this summer."

"Cool. Can I listen?" asked Danny.

Sam held out a headphone. Danny took it and listened. It was jaunty, but the jauntiness soon faded out and more aggressive piece took over.

"That's different," he said to Sam, handing the headphone back to her.

"'What We Are' is what it's called," said Sam. "It's their intro piece. They're touring with another group called Subdigitals in America right now."

"I wonder if there are any shows around here," said Tucker.

Neither Sam nor Danny had noticed their techno-geek friend take out his PDA. He was downloading L'Elfe et le Fantasme songs from a music library. He hit play and a different song was playing. This song gave the feeling of darkness and cold, reminding the three friends of a score to a horror movie. It also reminded Danny of something else.

"It feels like the Ghost Zone," he said.

Tucker laughed. "How can you feel music?" he asked.

Sam glared. "Music is able to stir emotions in people," she said. "And if Danny feels something in a piece, you shouldn't laugh at him."

"Doesn't it remind you of the Ghost Zone?" asked Danny.

Sam and Tucker listened carefully.

"In a way," said Tucker.

"Not quite like the Ghost Zone," said Sam. "It feels more like a broken soul, one that is trying to heal itself."

The boys stared at her.

"That's. . .deep," said Danny.

Sam gave them a playful glare. "Let's get to class. Maybe one of the A-listers knows what happened after you left this morning."

* * *

><p><strong>Eva, Part 2<strong>

**When it came to flushing out Eva on paper (or on the computer, whichever way you want to look at it), I wanted her to be similar and yet different from the _Code: LYOKO_ characters. Ulrich and Yumi had the Pencat Silat and karate and judo seemed a bit too common. Instead, she knew capoeira. Since she was a street dancer to make money and it was a hobby of hers, it seemed to fit since capoeira looks like dancing and if you've watched any of those _Step Up_ movies, some of those moves can be used to really hurt someone. When it came time to make a significant change for Eva, I wasn't entirely sure what to do, but then the thought of "Hey, what if Jim became Eva's father?" hit me. Jim was an improvement over her real parents and having Mackenzie die just because of her leukemia wasn't enough for her parents to get in enough trouble to have Eva taken away from them. But Jim and Eva seemed perfect for each other; they both keep others in line, and they don't like to talk about their past, and though they look like they don't care, they do.**


	3. American High School

**Eva, Part 3**

**Anyone can hack a computer, but not everyone can forge documents. It's easy for Eva with her photographic memory and being able to write with both hands. She loves to read, having read all sorts of stories to Mackenzie at bedtime, anything from children's books to Shakespeare. I love _A Midsummer Night's Dream_ and incorporated it into the story. I remembered that Nicolas knew Shakespeare as well and thought about having them become friends, although it turned into something much more.**

* * *

><p>Time for gym class. Danny hated gym class. He got enough exercise running around all night fighting ghosts. He didn't need to be running after a ball that Dash was going to hit him with. Same old, same old.<p>

But there was something new. Two things new, in fact. There was a girl with short pink hair in a gym uniform and next to her was a rough looking brunette with shoulder length hair wearing black sweat pants and a baggy black T-shirt. Danny couldn't tell if the brunette was a guy or a girl. Both were about his friends' height and age.

"New students?" Danny asked Tucker.

"Must be," said Tucker. "That girl with the pink hair is fine."

Sam said to them, "I heard they were at the buses this morning, Danny. Both of them are from France. Their English is great, though."

"Did you talk to them?" asked Tucker. "I would love to know their names."

"All right!" shouted Ms. Tetslaff. "Let's warm up!"

They began with stretching and jumping jacks.

"Does she remind you of anyone?" Aelita asked Eva with a bright smile.

Eva gave Ms. Tetslaff a good looking over. "She reminds me of Jim."

Aelita laughed. "You see it, too!" she giggled. Her smile turned wicked. "I can also see her being an older version of you."

Eva stopped and turned to Aelita with a cold look, but this quickly melted into one of amusement.

"All right! Today is track and field day," said Ms. Tetslaff.

"Perfect," said Eva with a smirk.

Aelita looked at Eva. "You have been restless."

"You have no idea," said Eva, already shifting her weight from one foot to another.

Eva's attention was turned to a large blonde boy that had more brawn than brains. He had a cocky smirk on his face and was eyeing some of the smaller students.

Aelita saw the glimmer of disapproval in Eva's eyes as she looked at the student. "Don't get any ideas," she said. "This isn't Kadic."

"No, it is not," said Eva.

"We'll do the hundred meter dash first," said Ms. Tetslaff.

Ms. Tetslaff began assigning groups of three to run the hundred meters.

Sam, Paulina, and the girl with the pink hair were in a group.

"I like your hair," said Paulina to the girl.

"Thank you," said the girl.

"I'm Paulina."

"On your marks," said Ms. Tetslaff. "Get set! Go!"

The three of them ran as fast as they could. Sam came in first, followed by the girl with the pink hair, then Paulina.

Aelita jogged over to Eva.

"Not bad," commented Eva.

"Thanks," panted Aelita. "All those times going to the factory paid off."

Eva's attention went back to the blonde boy. He was tormenting two other boys. Some of his friends were standing around adding to the insults being thrown at the two boys. The boys seemed to be used to it and tried to ignore them. Eva narrowed her eyes. Bullying was one thing she did not like and if she could put a stop to it, she would.

Aelita saw and turned to Eva to see what she was going to do about it. There was a fire burning in Eva's dark eyes. This young man had just stirred the ire of Phantasm.

Finally the last round of runners was called.

"Baxter! Fenton!" shouted Ms. Tetslaff.

Danny groaned as he took his starting position next to Dash.

"You're going to be smoked, Fenturd," sneered Dash.

There was another name called to join them. "Maverick-Morales!"

The brunette of indeterminate gender stood next to Dash.

"Ready to lose, nerd?" Dash jeered.

"Are you?" the brunette asked cooly.

Dash snarled. "You're going down," he promised.

The brunette simply looked away, preparing to race.

"Go!" shouted Ms. Tetslaff.

The students and teacher were stunned into silence as Eva sprinted into the lead like the boys were standing still. She ran to the finish line and turned around to see them trying to catch up.

"Go, Eva!" cheered Aelita.

"Eva?" Paulina repeated stupidly. "Your friend's a girl?"

"Yes," replied Aelita.

Eva walked passed Dash. "How does it feel to get beat by a girl?" she asked.

Dash growled. He stepped up behind Eva and swung at her. Eva felt it coming and whirled around, batting the fist away from her. Dash gasped at the cold eyes she had. They held the silent threat that she would beat him to a pulp. Eva did no more and walked away.

"That was so cool!" said Tucker to Eva, keeping stride with her. "I'm Tucker, by the way. Eva, was it? How about you and I get together some time?"

"No," said Eva.

Tucker stopped in his tracks at her cold tone. "Okay, then. See you later."

"That was seriously weird," said Danny as Tucker walked back over to them.

"Yeah, she's colder than anyone I've ever met," said Tucker. "I'm used to being shot down, but this time was different."

"I wonder what her problem is," said Sam.

They started heading inside to get changed for their next class. Sam followed the two French girls into the girls' locker room. Sam watched Eva disappear into a bathroom stall and Aelita toss Eva's clothes over the door. Sam decided she should try to strike up a conversation with them. Just as she was about to introduce herself, Paulina stepped between her and Aelita.

"Where did you get your hair done?" Paulina asked. "It looks great."

"Would you believe me if I said it's natural?" asked Aelita.

"Really?" squealed Paulina.

Sam scoffed. Aelita and Paulina looked at her.

"Don't you have a dark room to haunt?" asked Paulina.

"Don't you have a clown to visit to fix your makeup?" Sam shot back.

Paulina quickly took out her compact and checked her makeup. "I hate gym," she said, hurrying off to fix her makeup. "This is what happens when beauty meets sweat."

"Sorry about her," said Sam. "I'm Sam. It's Aelita, right? And your friend is Eva?"

"Yes," said Aelita, changing her shirt.

"So what do you think of Casper High?" asked Sam.

"It's not that much different from our school," said Aelita.

Sam frowned. "Didn't you move here?"

Aelita shook her head. "This is just for the day," said Aelita. "One of the buses was collateral damage for a ghost attack this morning and we're stuck here until it's fixed."

"You were there?" asked Sam. Aelita nodded. "Did you see Danny Phantom?"

"Yes, but I didn't get a good look at him," said Aelita.

"Well, you don't have to worry about him," said Sam. "He's really nice contrary to what others say."

Aelita smiled. "I know," she said. "Eva has this weird ability to know when people are good or bad. Right, Eva?"

"Right," said Eva. "Aelita, I need you to do something for me."

Eva opened the stall door just a bit for Aelita to see. Aelita gave her a lookover. "You're fine," she said.

Eva came out of the stall, adjusting her shirt in her belt. "Is that jock always like that?" she asked Sam.

"Every single day," said Sam.

Aelita looked at Eva. "Don't get any ideas," she said quickly, seeing the scheming look in Eva's eyes.

"Only if he strikes first," said Eva.

Sam gave them a confused look.

* * *

><p>At last period they all met up for Mr. Lancer's class. Team Phantom sat in their usual corner of the room. Eva and Aelita took two seats in the row closest to the windows, Eva sitting behind Aelita. Eva was scanning the room. She had a strange feeling. The dream she had last night was coming back to haunt her in her waking hours. Her eyes settled on a raven haired boy with ice blue eyes. He was one of the boys who was being picked on, the one she ran the race with.<p>

Mr. Lancer came in and took role. Eva quickly learned that the boy was named Danny Fenton. Mr. Lancer then introduced Eva and Aelita, explaining why they were there. The students looked over at Aelita and Eva and said hello. Eva locked eyes with Danny Fenton.

For one moment, everything around Eva vanished and she could only see Danny. Danny had the same look on his face. The moment quickly ended when Eva forced herself to break eye contact.

"Now that the good news is out of the way, I do have some bad news," said Mr. Lancer. "The DJ for the back to school dance has canceled. So unless we find someone to fill in for him, there will be no dance."

There were murmurs and whispers. The back to school dance was very important to the popular crowd.

"We can do it!" Aelita said, nearly jumping out of her seat.

All eyes turned to Aelita.

"You?" asked Mr. Lancer.

"Yes, Eva and I can do it," said Aelita. "It's no different than playing a concert."

The students and teacher stared at them, having no idea what Aelita was talking about.

"Oh, come on," said Aelita. "Haven't you heard the techno duo L'Elfe et le Fantasme?"

Team Phantom jumped.

"You two are L'Elfe et le Fantasme?" asked Sam.

Aelita nodded. "The tour bus that got damaged this morning belongs to the Subdigitals. We're their opening act. I'm sure we can get permission. Besides, I started out as a DJ for a school dance."

"Please, Mr. Lancer?" asked Tucker. "I've heard their music. They're really good."

"All right," said Mr. Lancer. "The dance is saved."

"Yes!" said Aelita.

"Now, to class," said Mr. Lancer.

"Aw," groaned some of the students.

"What?" asked Mr. Lancer.

"We wanted to know more about Aelita and Eva," whined Kwan.

"Maybe later," said Mr. Lancer. "Right now we have a discussion on Shakespeare."

Eva's mood improved when she heard they were going to be discussing Shakespeare.

"Yesterday we were discussing Macbeth's descent into madness," said Mr. Lancer. "As a refresher, can anyone tell me why Macbeth went mad?" Mr. Lancer searched the room for hands. He raised an eyebrow when he saw one hand up. "Miss Maverick-Morales?"

"The madness was not Macbeth's at first, it was his wife's, Lady Macbeth," said Eva. "When Macbeth told her what the Weird Sisters prophesied, she became power hungry. She was willing to commit murder and she did in order for her husband to become king. As the play goes on, her madness becomes his madness." Eva paused. "I think I remember all that correctly."

Mr. Lancer looked at her. "You know Shakespeare?"

"Yes," said Eva. She frowned. "What?"

Mr. Lancer thought for a moment, trying to find the right words.

Eva spoke first. "I don't look like I understand Shakespeare, do I?" she asked. Eva was not hurt by this. "I understand. It's okay. People take one look at me and see a sloppy teenager who doesn't look like she could pass a test. It's okay. I keep up that appearance because I want to be able to show that appearances don't matter."

"Miss Maverick-Morales, what grade are you in?" asked Mr. Lancer.

"Technically, I graduated," said Eva. "I completed my studies at Kadic just this past semester."

"And you're how old?" asked Mr. Lancer, shocked.

"Fourteen," answered Eva. "I'll be fifteen in October."

"Mr. Lancer, may I use the bathroom?" Danny suddenly asked.

"Yes, Mr. Fenton," Mr. Lancer said with an exasperated sigh.

Danny jumped up and ran out of the room.

Eva watched him run. This wasn't just an emergency bathroom break. She had seen that type of mad dash since she started Kadic. It was the dash that signaled danger and the willingness to stop it. Danny did not come back for a long time.

* * *

><p>After class, Aelita and Eva caught up with the Subdigitals at the hotel they were set up in. They told them what happened at school. Chris wasn't sure that they should be performing while they were supposed to be relaxing.<p>

"It's relaxing to us," said Eva. "We can go. You don't have to look after us. We can take care of ourselves. Besides, there are going to be teachers there. What trouble could we possibly get into?"

"All right," said Chris. "Just be back before midnight."

"Got it," said Eva.

They had time before they had to go back to Casper High and get ready for the dance. Eva took that time to check her e-mail and look at the footage from that morning's ghost attack.

"Hey, Eva," said Aelita, carrying an outfit in one hand. "Do you think I should wear the pink dress with a darker camisole over top or just my cropped vest?"

Aelita frowned at Eva. Eva had the most peculiar look on her face. Her brown eyes widened.

"Fenton is Phantom," said Eva.

"What?" asked Aelita.

Eva quickly turned the laptop around. "Look at this," she said. Aelita looked at the screen, a still of Danny Phantom showing. "Now think about Danny Fenton."

"They look alike," said Aelita.

"They're the same," said Eva.

"How?" asked Aelita.

"Don't ask me how," said Eva. "I just know. I saw their eyes. They have the same eyes. The same look of determination and secrecy."

Aelita looked up from the screen. "Eva, there's something you're not telling me."

Eva looked away.

"Eva," pleaded Aelita. "Whatever it is, you can tell me."

Dark brown met green and Eva answered, "I watched you die, Aelita. You were murdered. We all were, by a monster."

Eva explained her dream.

"You think Danny Phantom is going to kill us?" asked Aelita, horrified. "That he's a mass murderer?"

"Not yet," said Eva. "This Phantom was older, heartless. When I made eye contact with Danny Fenton in class, I could see a fear, a fear of becoming a monster."

"Eva, how?" asked Aelita. "I know you can tell if people are good or bad just by looking at their eyes, but how can you tell that he fears becoming a monster?"

"Because I've had that same look," replied Eva. "I know what it feels like. And honestly, I've almost done horrible things before."

"What did you almost do?" asked Aelita.

"I rather not talk about it," said Eva.

Aelita giggled. "You're starting to sound like Jim." Her smile faded a little. "Eva, it was a dream and a coincidence."

Eva shook her head. "No. It was a warning."

* * *

><p>Danny, Tucker, and Sam walked home from school together.<p>

"What was that in Lancer's class, man?" asked Tucker. "You, like, spaced out on us for three seconds."

"There's something about Eva that looks familiar," said Danny.

"Like you've seen her before?" asked Sam.

"Not like that," said Danny. "The look in her eyes. I don't know how to tell you guys, but there was something about her that just screamed, 'Ghost!'"

"Your ghost sense didn't go off until later," said Tucker.

"Do you think she's the one who helped you out with Skulker?" asked Sam.

"It could be," said Danny. "She was there. If it wasn't her, she probably saw who did."

"We can ask her at the dance," said Tucker.

"Yeah," said Danny.

* * *

><p><strong>Kayla, Part 1<strong>

**Kayla was created to be Eva's opposite in someways. She is much more open about her emotions. She does not like keeping secrets that are unnecessary. When Kayla first met Eva, she wanted to tell someone about the abuse that Eva was enduring but Eva did not want her to tell. Kayla is an enabler and will do what she can for Eva, including stitching up Eva's wounds. She does not like that Eva is a criminal though she's never been caught, but now and then supports the decision for less than legal action. It was Kayla's idea for Eva to forge her way into Kadic Academy.**


	4. A WarmBlooded Phantom

**Kayla, Part 2**

**I wanted Kayla to be just as smart as Eva and maybe even smarter. Kayla often feels useless, but she proves that she can hold her own when she makes several small explosives to distract the XANAfied teachers in one story. Kayla made the smart move of befriending the William clone and trying to teach it without using a program. This worked to a point when the Dunbars came to visit him. Though she likes to think before something is done and be logical about it, sometimes her heart leads her without her realizing it, like falling for the William clone.**

* * *

><p>Eva and Aelita arrived at the school and set up their equipment in the school's auditorium. Eva had her gear bag stashed behind the mixing board.<p>

"This isn't a big city where you had to worry about protecting me," said Aelita. "It's a high school dance."

"I'm not taking any chances," said Eva.

The dance was kicked off at six o'clock. Aelita started their set with their intro. After their intro, Aelita kicked off the next song. At first it was only a strange noise, but more noise was added to it and soon there was a bit of a beat.

"Hey," said Tucker. "Doesn't that sound familiar?"

Danny and Sam listened.

"It almost sounds like a battle," said Sam.

"Like a fight I have with ghosts," said Danny.

Indeed it did. Amidst the beat of the song, Team Phantom could hear ecto-blasts being fired and blows being exchanged. Some of the sounds were distorted, but they all came together to make a strange melody.

Eva picked up her bass and played a few notes. Suddenly the music stopped and she brought her mouth close to the microphone. In her raspy voice, she spoke the first few lines of the song.

_Do not lie, I know you can't see me  
>You say you can, but there's no way you could<br>Here I am, torn in half  
>These halves are all that you can see<em>

The music started up again. The sounds of a ghost battle started out low and became louder.

"Whoa," said Tucker.

Sam looked at Danny. "It's like she's talking about you," she said to him.

"But that's impossible," said Danny. "She can't know that I'm half-ghost."

Eva picked a few notes on her bass before she began to sing.

_One half warm, the other half cold  
>Perfect harmony, in sync<br>One half meek, the other half bold  
>Sewn together to be complete<br>One half loved, the other half hated  
>What side I'm on is constantly debated<br>Torn between two lives, living with the lies  
>It's the same no matter what I try<br>Never see me as a whole  
>You can never believe the truth<br>It's too insane to be true  
>But madness can be true, too<br>This war is in me, all around me  
>Physically, spiritually, mentally<br>Blood from wounds, tears from pain  
>A broken heart from all the strain<br>Yet here I stand, the threads holding me together  
>I keep telling myself I will be better<br>-rap-  
>This hand I've been dealt, I don't know what I did to deserve it<br>But it's what I have, it's absurd, it's madness  
>The pain I feel is real, almost too much to conceal<br>As the blood from my wounds congeals, I know I will heal  
>One day this will be over and I will have reached the end<br>But until then I will strive to defend  
>My life, my honor, my responsibilities<br>Do everything with in my power and abilities  
>To save what I love, to save what I cherish<br>Even if in the end I do perish  
>I want people to look at me and know<br>Though they've never seen me as a whole  
>That I was willing to lay down my life<br>That I was their true hero  
>-sings-<br>Never see me as a whole  
>You can never believe the truth<br>It's too insane to be true  
>But madness can be true, too<br>Madness is true, too_

The song ended.

Eva scanned the crowd, pausing a half second longer on Team Phantom before she walked over to Aelita.

"Not bad for throwing that together in an hour," she said to Aelita.

Aelita nodded. "What do they think?"

Eva glanced over her shoulder. "I don't think they're sure of what to think. They certainly are rattled."

Meanwhile, Team Phantom was talking quietly and quickly amongst themselves.

"Do you think she knows?" asked Sam.

"How could she?" asked Danny. "She was never around to see me go ghost. Maybe it's a coincidence."

"There is no way that's a coincidence," said Tucker. "It was too perfect to be just a guess."

"You're sure she never saw you transform?" asked Sam.

"Positive," replied Danny. "This is nuts!"

"Let's just keep an eye on them for now," said Tucker.

"Tuck's right," said Sam. "If they don't know, we can't let them become suspicious. We have to steer them away from the truth." She looked at the stage. "That's easier said than done. That Eva's sharp."

The dance continued on with songs from L'Elfe et le Fantasme and remixed versions of the Pop Rock Progressives. Now and then Eva would take a break from singing and hop off stage and dance with the students.

At eight o'clock, Aelita was given a break to rest her hands and get something to drink.

"It is really warm up on stage," she said, fanning herself with her hand.

"I know," said Eva. "Why do you think I've been hopping off stage and dancing with everyone else?"

"I'm glad we came," said Aelita. "It's a nice change of pace. What about you? Having a good time?"

"Yes," replied Eva. "I'm going to make a quick phone call."

"It's a bit late to call our friends," said Aelita.

"I think this one will be awake," said Eva. She got back up on stage and grabbed her gear bag from behind the mixing board. "Need to reapply my makeup," she said to Aelita when Aelita gave her a funny look.

Eva took her bag and went into a bathroom out of the way of the gym, not wishing to be interrupted in any way. She took out a small makeup kit and a brush. She pushed her hair out of her face and began reapplying makeup to her scars. It had become essential that Eva cover her scars when she was on stage. She didn't like the idea of people knowing what happened to her before she became a star.

Eva's stomach began to burn and her scalp prickled. She put her brush down and looked at the door.

BANG!

Eva instinctively dropped to the floor, knowing the sound of gunshots when she heard them. There was screaming outside in the gymnasium. Eva's first concern was Aelita. Her second was where that gunshot was directed. Hopefully the shot was fired just to get attention.

Eva crept out of the bathroom, staying low to the ground, almost completely on her hands and knees. A few who weren't in the gym at the time were running the opposite way. She came to the gym door and listened.

"No one move!" shouted a man. "We will not hurt you. We are simply looking for the ghost who was tracked here. We know it's still here. Until we can find it, no one is going anywhere. I said, don't move!"

BANG!

Eva heard Aelita let out a scream of fright. Taking a risk, Eva looked through the tiny windows of the gym doors. She counted ten men in full body armor, armed to the teeth. The students and teachers were forced to sit on the floor. Eva could see that no one was hurt. Aelita was sitting near her mixing board. She looked in Eva's direction and quickly looked away. She had seen Eva.

Eva hurried back to the bathroom she had been in. She ripped open her bag. Eva pulled her black sweatshirt over her head. Her black ski mask went on next, followed by her skull mask, and she pulled her hood up. Eva hurried to pull on her leather gloves and armed herself with her knife, clipping the sheath to her waistband so it was going down her pant leg where it could not be seen. She put her gear bag over her shoulder, knowing that she would need everything that was inside it: homemade stun gun, brass knuckles, zip-ties, duct tape, and more. Before leaving the bathroom, Eva looked in the mirror. She looked at Phantasm staring back at her. She turned and left.

* * *

><p>Aelita knew that Eva was okay and that she had a plan, and if she didn't have a plan she would soon have one. Aelita looked around for the nearest exit. There were the locker rooms that were just off to her right. If she could get to them, she could escape. All she needed was a moment of distraction.<p>

Aelita searched the crowd for Danny Fenton. He was all right and was sitting with Sam and Tucker. If Eva was right and he was Danny Phantom, he could get them out of this. At the same time, he was the one who got them into this mess in the first place by being a ghost. But Aelita did not blame him for this.

The men began to move to the doors. Aelita bit her lip. How was she going to get out with the exits blocked?

* * *

><p>Eva ran through the hallways, looking for a supply closet. She needed to get to the fuse panel. Aelita could get out if she had a distraction, Eva was sure. However, she was not sure if Aelita knew that she could escape with the right distraction. Either way, Eva worked best under the cover of darkness.<p>

Finding the fuse panel, Eva gave a silent prayer that Aelita could escape and began pulling out the fuses.

* * *

><p>Aelita's prayers were answered when the lights went out in the gym. A few students screamed and Aelita took that as her chance to get out. She knew where the guard was standing and she ducked under him, pushing her way out of the gym and into the boys' locker room. Aelita couldn't see a thing and she was forced to feel her way around the locker room.<p>

Someone grabbed Aelita and forced a hand over her mouth.

"Princess," came a rasp in the dark.

The hand was taken away from her mouth and Aelita was pulled out of the locker room and ran down a hallway.

"Thank you," Aelita whispered to Eva.

"Anytime," Eva whispered back. "Get to safety."

"What about you?" asked Aelita.

"Don't worry about me," said Eva. "We've dealt with worse before, haven't we? I know I have."

"Just be careful," said Aelita. Her eyes were adjusting to the darkness enough to see the white skull face nod under the black hood.

"I have my mobile on vibrate," said Eva. "Call if there's a problem." Eva reached into her gear bag and took out the stun gun. "Take this with you. Use it in an emergency. Remember, if it comes down to you or him, save your own life. There is no shame in self-defense. Go."

Aelita hurried off to the nearest exit. She found several other students beating on the double doors.

"What's going on?" Aelita asked.

"The doors are locked," said a nerd. "We're trapped."

Aelita gasped. She was on the verge of panicking, but she knew she had to stay calm. If panicking didn't help with a XANA attack, it wouldn't help here.

"We can't stay here," she told the students. "We need to find a place to hide."

"Where?" asked a popular girl with blonde hair. Aelita remembered her name being Starr.

"You tell me," said Aelita. "I don't know this school like you do. Is there a secluded classroom we can use?"

"The biology lab can be locked," said the nerd. "It's in the corner of the school."

"Okay, go there and lock yourselves in," said Aelita.

"What about you?" asked Starr.

"I'm going to see if I can find anyone else who escaped," said Aelita.

As Aelita hurried away, she heard Starr say, "Where is Danny Phantom?"

* * *

><p>Eva's mobile buzzed against her leg. She pulled it out of her pocket and saw Aelita was calling. "What?"<p>

"They locked us in," said Aelita. "I've sent some of the students to the biology lab where they can lock themselves in."

"Where are you?" asked Eva.

"I'm looking for other students," said Aelita. "I'm on the other side of the school right now."

"All right," said Eva.

"What are you going to do?" asked Aelita.

"They want a ghost, right?" asked Eva. "Let's see how they can measure up to Phantasm." She hung up her mobile and slipped it back into her pocket.

Aelita did not like the way Eva said that. She put her mobile in her pocket and continued her search for more students.

* * *

><p>Eva knew she was taking a huge gamble with what she was about to do. If it didn't work, there was a chance that she could be seriously hurt or killed. Even worse, someone could be killed because of her.<p>

Eva went back to the gym. She pushed gently on the doors and found them locked. She looked in the windows. Their captors had flashlights and were keeping an eye on the remaining students.

"Are you sure that thing is accurate?" asked one of the men.

"I'm sure it is," said another one, holding some sort of PDA in his hands. "It's in the building."

"But that doesn't mean it's in the gym!" snapped the first.

"Stop fighting!" snarled the leader. "We only need a few to keep an eye on these kids. Marshall, Cruz, Wagner, you stay with the kids. The rest of you are going to go looking for our ghost."

There was a loud sound that made everyone jump. Something was pounding on the gym doors. The men who were assigned to search for the ghost unlocked the door and sprinted into the hallway, hoping to catch it before it got away.

Eva ran like the wind after giving the doors several solid kicks. She kept her ears open listening for the men. She heard them behind her. She gave a locker a smack to make more noise to keep them following her. Eva ran into a stairwell and hid under the stairs.

Only three of the men followed her.

"Do you think it came in here?" asked one of the men who followed her.

"I think so," said a second.

"Keep your eyes open. It could be anywhere," commanded the third.

They began to walk up the stairs. Eva came out of hiding and ducked out the door, silent as a mouse.

Another group of three was in the library. Eva followed them up and waited for them to split up. She used the bookshelves as cover, taking what she needed from her bag and waiting for her moment to strike. One man went into the stacks. Eva struck quickly and silently. She slammed her leg into the man's gut and kicked him in the face. He hit his head off the bookshelf and fell to the floor. Eva used a piece of duct tape to tape his mouth shut and bound his hands and feet with zip-ties.

"Gibson?" called one of the two remaining men.

Eva moved back into the shadows and waited. The second man saw his bound comrade and gasped. Before he could do anything more, Eva had him on the ground.

Eva was quickly yanked back by the third man. He had his arm around her neck. Eva slammed her fist into his groin. He let go and Eva went down on her hands and feet, grabbing her knife from her belt. The man also grabbed a knife from his belt.

"There you are, ghost," he snarled. His blade began to glow green. "This knife will hurt you no matter what tricks you pull."

The man tried to stab Eva. Eva simply stepped out of the way, but she bumped into the bookshelf. The space between the stacks was too narrow for her to fight as she usually did. Instead she used the combat moves Jim taught her. She grabbed the man's wrist and twisted it hard. There was a snapping sound and the man yelped. Knife still in hand, Eva punched the man in the face. She hit him hard in the side of the knee in a stomping motion. There was another snap and the man roared in pain as he fell.

"You broke my leg!" he yelled.

Eva cartwheeled over him, pulling his hands behind his back. She didn't have a zip-tie handy so she improvised. She removed his belt and used it to hogtie him.

"Help!" the man yelled. "It's in here! It's in here!"

Eva quickly got a piece of duct tape and taped his mouth shut. She sheathed her knife and bound the other man, too. Eva also searched them for anything she could use. The man she was searching had a nine-millimeter gun tucked away. All their other weapons appeared foreign to her, all of them having a strange green design. Eva had a feeling that they were to be used in ghost hunting, seeing these men claimed to be ghost hunters.

She turned to the man hogtied with his belt. He was giving her a defiant glare. Eva ignored him and took the gun with her. She slung her bag over one shoulder and continued on her way. Three down, seven to go.

Eva found a quiet hallway and figured this was a good place to stop and rest. She took the gun from her bag and checked the magazine. It was a full clip and there was one in the chamber. Hopefully she wouldn't have to shoot anyone, but it was good to know that she had a fully loaded weapon with her just in case. She tucked the gun into her waistband.

* * *

><p>Aelita had only found a few other students who were not in the gym when the men came in. She told them to hide anywhere they could and kept up her search. She kept her hand on the stun gun mobile, careful to keep her finger off the button that activated it.<p>

Flashing red and blue lights came through the window. Aelita went over to it and looked outside. The police had arrived and were setting up their mobile headquarters. Aelita also spotted a large RV, a large man in an orange and black jumpsuit and a woman in a blue and black jumpsuit standing next to it. She also saw the white van of the Guys in White.

"Please, hurry, Eva," whispered Aelita.

* * *

><p>Jazz Fenton was hiding in the guidance consoler's office. She felt safe there and contributed it to finding comfort in psychology. She stood up from the desk and peered out the blinds. Jazz had called home twenty minutes ago and told her mother what happened. The police had already been called by someone else and thanks to her dad's driving, the Fentons pulled up just as the police did.<p>

Jazz's mobile rang and she quickly answered it. "Mom?"

"Jazz, honey, are you okay?" asked Maddie Fenton frantically.

"I'm okay," said Jazz. "They haven't found me."

"We're outside, sweetheart," said Maddie.

"I know, I can see you from where I am," said Jazz. "I'm on the first floor, but everyone's in the gym. I can't get out. They have all the doors locked."

"Where's Danny?" asked Maddie.

"In the gym with Tucker and Sam and all the others," said Jazz.

"Do you know what they want?" asked Maddie.

Jazz was about to answer when a hand covered her mouth and pulled her away from the window. Jazz let out a muffled scream. Her mobile was promptly taken from her and turned off. A skull face hidden under a black hood stared at her. Jazz's eyes went wide. The person, still holding her mobile, put a finger up to the mouth, telling Jazz to be quiet. The hand was slowly removed. Jazz's mobile was handed back to her.

Jazz took her mobile and looked at the person. "Are you a ghost?" she asked.

The hooded figure shook its head.

"My name's Jazz," she went on. "What's your name?"

Eva did not answer as she began to move the door, waving her hand to Jazz to follow her. If she spoke, there was a good chance her accent would give her away. She looked to see if Jazz was following her and went into the hallway.

"Are you going to answer me?" asked Jazz.

Eva whipped around, finger to the mask's mouth. She took Jazz's hand and began leading her down the hallway.

There was a sweeping of a flashlight and Eva forced Jazz against a wall. Eva looked around and saw a classroom. She went over to the door and found it locked. She took out her picks from her wallet and picked the lock.

"What are you doing?" whispered Jazz.

Eva opened the door and gave Jazz a shove into the room. Eva pointed to the closet. Jazz frowned. Eva waved her hand at her in a shooing motion and pointed to the closet again.

"You want me to hide?" asked Jazz.

Eva nodded.

Jazz climbed into the closet. Just as she did, the door to the classroom slammed. Jazz left the closet door open a crack so she could see.

Eva had slammed the door for the sole purpose of getting the attention of the men. She crouched down behind the door, setting her gear bag down and taking out two zip-ties. She waited, watching for any sign of someone coming. She saw the beam of a flashlight shine through the window of the door. The door opened and two men stepped in, weapons drawn.

"Are you sure?" asked one man.

"I heard this door slam," said the other. "I know at least someone came in here."

Eva stood up behind them and stomped one foot. They whirled around. One man had the gun knocked out of his hand before he was even turned halfway around. Eva then kicked him in the side, sending him into his partner and they both crashed to the floor, one of the weapons discharging. A bolt of green fired over Eva's shoulder. Eva pounced and tied one's hands behind his back before being kicked in the stomach. She was knocked back and she tumbled backwards before doing back hand springs down an aisle of desks.

The man who did not have his hands bound jumped up and ran at Eva. Eva stopped her flipping, pausing for a split second as he got closer. Eva hopped onto a chair and brought her elbow around to strike the man in the face. He slammed into the opposite row, shifting the desks as he fell. Eva bound his hands.

The other man was getting to his feet. Eva looked up and saw him coming. She prepared herself for a quick fight. Instead the man pitched forward and landed on his face. Eva looked from the man to Jazz, who was adjusting her headband, a triumphant look on her face. Eva gave Jazz a salute before tying the men's feet and duct taping their mouths shut. They dragged them to the front of the room. Eva made a note that these two made five. There were three in the gym and two still roaming free in the school.

* * *

><p>In the gym, Danny was trying to come up with a plan. He needed a place to transform. Sam and Tucker would cover for him, but they couldn't move from where they were.<p>

"Where's Phantom?" Paulina whispered, tears of hysteria in her eyes. "Why isn't he here?"

* * *

><p>Jazz grabbed Eva's shoulder. Eva jerked away and whirled.<p>

"Listen, I can't explain this to you, but this is important," said Jazz. "My brother and his friends are trapped in the gym and they can help us. They know Phantom and they know how to contact him. If we can get them out, Phantom can come and help us. Do you understand?"

Eva nodded. Just then her mobile buzzed. It was a text message from Aelita.

**SOS 2nd floor chem lab**

Eva remembered where the chemistry lab was. She immediately ran for the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Jazz called after her. She ran after Eva.

Eva ran to the chemistry lab. The door was open. She ran into the room and saw Aelita bracing herself against a lab table, mobile stun gun in hand. On the floor was man number six.

Aelita turned to Eva. "You said me or him," Aelita said, panting.

"That I did," said Eva. She took the zip-ties from her bag and bound the man. "One more plus the three in the gym. I met up with Danny's sister. If we can create a distraction, he can get out and transform."

"Okay," said Aelita.

It was then that Jazz caught up to them. "What are you doing running off by yourself like that? Are you crazy?"

"She doesn't know," Eva whispered to Aelita.

Eva led the way back down to the gym, Aelita and Jazz in tow. Eva looked through the window to the gym again. She only counted two men. Where was the third? Eva signaled to them that there were only two.

"There were three earlier," whispered Aelita.

"How are we going to make this distraction?" asked Jazz. "We have to get everyone to look away from Danny."

"And Danny has to know we're coming," said Aelita. "Can you text him?"

"I can text Tucker," said Jazz.

"Okay, tell him to get ready to move and contact Phantom," said Aelita.

Jazz sent a quick message to Tucker. **Cre8in' distraction. D, B ready 2 go ghost — J.** Jazz hit the send button.

Eva kept looking through the window. She saw Tucker answer his PDA. It must have been on vibrate because no one noticed that he had taken it out of his pocket. He showed the message to Danny and Sam.

"So what's this distraction?" asked Jazz.

Eva waved Aelita and Jazz away, pointing to the girls' bathroom. Jazz knew this meant they were to hide. Aelita understood as well and they hurried off.

Eva watched them enter the bathroom. They would be safe there for the time being. She took the gun from her waistband and pointed it at the floor, angling it away from her.

BANG! BANG!

Eva's ears rang as she ran from the door and turned the corner. The two men came running into the hallway where Eva was just standing.

* * *

><p>Danny, Tucker, and Sam gasped at the shots. Sam tapped Danny on this shoulder, moving in front of him. Tucker did the same. Danny became intangible and slipped through the floor. Once he was safely out of the gym, he went ghost.<p>

Danny Phantom flew to the first floor and found the two men. He quickly knocked them out and left them on the floor. He flew into the gym and heard everyone gasp.

"Come on!" he said.

"Where have you been?" asked one of the students.

"I can't be everywhere at once!" Danny defended.

"He's here now," said Sam. "Let's not question him."

"Yeah, let's get out of here," said Dash, his voice a little shaky. He hated the dark.

They hurried to the doors, Danny floating above them to make sure everyone got out.

"Phantom!" Dash yelled. "They locked us in!"

Danny turned, his hands glowing. "Not for long," he said.

The students and teachers moved away from the doors. Danny let an ecto-blast fly and the doors were blown off their hinges.

"Come on!" said Dash, leading them out.

Danny turned to Tucker and Sam. "I'll be okay," he told them. "I have to find Jazz."

"Be careful," said Sam.

Danny continued to search the school. He found one other man and used his powers to subdue him.

Jazz and Aelita came out of hiding. Jazz saw Danny and called out to him.

"Are you okay?" Danny asked Jazz.

"I'm fine," said Jazz. "There was someone else here. He was helping me. I don't know where he is. He had a skull mask on and was wearing dark clothes."

Aelita let out a shriek as she was suddenly pulled off the floor and held against someone's chest. She felt the barrel of a gun pressed to her temple.

"You're a hard ghost to find, Phantom," said the leader of the men.

"Let her go," said Danny firmly.

"Only if you come quietly," said the leader. He tapped the gun to Aelita's head. "You see, this gun is very special. It shoots bullets that can hurt humans and ghosts. I have nothing against humans and I really don't want to hurt this girl, but I will if I must."

"You're making a big mistake," said Aelita.

"Shut up!" The man gave her a shake.

Danny moved, trying to get to Aelita and the man. The man saw him coming and fired his gun at Danny. The bullet grazed Danny's side and he let out a yell of pain.

"Danny!" yelled Jazz as her brother fell to the floor.

Aelita screamed. Suddenly she was falling to the floor, the man on top of her. The weight of the man quickly disappeared. Aelita looked up and saw a dark figure kicking the man in the ribs. It was Eva! The man grabbed her foot and twisted it. Eva went with the twist to avoid having her ankle injured. She turned and fell on the floor, bringing up her other foot to catch the man in the face. It wasn't enough to knock him out. He rolled away and got to his feet. Eva was up on her feet again as well.

The man looked to where he had dropped his gun. Eva saw that he was going to make a grab for it. The man lunged for his gun. Eva did the same, trying to get to it first. The man got it and aimed it at Eva's head. He fired and missed. It hit the wall behind her. Eva heard Aelita scream. She looked over her shoulder and saw Aelita falling to the floor.

Eva turned back to the man. He hurt her friend, her sister, one she promised to protect. He was going to pay! Eva's knife was in her hand so quickly that it looked like it materialized there. She jumped forward, slashing at the man. Her knife caught the man's arm and he dropped the gun. Eva slashed again and cut his shirt and his vest. The man punched Eva in the shoulder and she staggered back. The man's punches were like stone. It was easier to roll with the punches instead of trying to fight the force. Eva allowed herself to drop to the floor, dropping her knife. She used both feet at the same time to kick the man's legs apart. She then kicked the man in the groin. The man grunted and doubled over. Eva kicked him in the stomach before twisting her body around and kicking him in the face with her heel. She got back on her feet and hit him across the face with her open hand. Eva picked up her knife again and slashed the man's other arm. She dropped and cut his legs. The man dropped to the floor, screaming in pain, blood flowing from the knife wounds.

The man looked up to see that his opponent now had a gun to his face. "Please, don't kill me," he begged.

Eva shook her head in disgust before kicking him in the face once more. The man fell back unconscious.

Eva turned around and saw Aelita, Jazz, and Danny were staring at her. Eva only had eyes for Aelita. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Aelita was not hurt.

"You better go," said Jazz, turning to Danny.

"Yes," said Danny.

"Phantom," said Aelita.

Danny turned to her. Aelita stepped up to him and kissed him once on each cheek. Danny stood there, stunned.

"Thank you," said Aelita.

"No problem," said Danny, blushing a bit. "Just part of my job."

Jazz grinned. "Now what about your mysterious friend? Hey!"

They all turned to where Eva had been standing. She was no longer there.

"Where'd he go?" asked Jazz.

They could hear running footsteps. The police were coming.

"Go!" Jazz said to Danny.

Danny vanished from sight.

Aelita hoped that Eva had an escape plan for herself or there could be trouble.

* * *

><p>Eva did have an escape plan, but she wasn't sure if it was going to work. She just had to wing it. She ran to the cafeteria and found the garbage chute. She took off her gloves, her masks, and her sweatshirt and put them in her gear bag along with her knife and the gun. She wished she had the stun gun she gave Aelita, but she could not go back for it now. Eva threw the bag down the garbage chute and heard it fall into the dumpster outside.<p>

Eva could hear someone coming. She ducked behind the lunch counter and hid, pretending to cower.

The police came and asked if she was okay. They then led her outside to a waiting paramedic. Eva said that she was fine and just a little shook up. Aelita came running up to her and threw her arms around her.

"Are you okay?" Eva asked in French.

"I'm fine," Aelita responded in French as well.

The two of them began to whisper back and forth in French.

"I'm so glad you're okay," said Eva. "I thought he shot you."

"What about you?" asked Aelita. "Are you hurt?"

"A little sore, but those guys are in worse shape," Eva answered.

"Speaking of them," said Aelita. Both of them turned to see the man Eva cut up being wheeled out on a gurney. "You really did a number on him. I thought you were going to kill him."

Eva watched the man be loaded into a waiting ambulance. She knew she had severed a couple tendons and he would need surgery. His face was swollen from where Eva kicked him. He looked like he was in a fight with a monster.

The police were leading the other men out, having cut the zip-ties so they could walk.

"There's a monster in there!" they shouted. "A monster did this to us!"

Aelita hugged Eva. "You're not a monster," she whispered in French.

Eva wondered if that was true.

* * *

><p><strong>Kayla, Part 3<strong>

**I had Kayla not live on campus for a few reasons. One, I did not like having all the characters, except for Yumi, lumped together in one place in case of a XANA attack. Two, it gave Kayla and Eva a quiet place to be since Kayla's parents are rarely home since they work strange hours at the hospital. Kayla's parents being in the medical field played a large role in the _Light and Shadow_ series. It was in a hospital that Kayla and Eva first met and if it wasn't for Kayla's knowledge of the medical field, there's the chance that Eva could be dead. Kayla was actually a difficult character for me to write. She was nowhere near as intense as Eva and since I was trying to base her off my friend, it made things much harder. In some ways I feel I haven't done enough with Kayla in the series.**


	5. Put Into Play

**Bon Ami**

**Bon Ami really is man's best friend. Ever since Eva rescued him (twice, but one was erased in a return to the past) Bon Ami has taken to Eva. Eva took him with her when she was moving things from her house to her dorm. Bon Ami protected her when he bit her father, who was attacking her. He even defended her again when the truth about Eva's parents came out. I used Bon Ami mostly for foreshadowing and as a minor character. If there is something amiss with Bon Ami, chances are there's something about to happen to Eva.**

* * *

><p>It was late when Aelita and Eva were allowed to return to their hotel. Sophie gave them a chewing out while the band just watched.<p>

"It's a good thing neither of you were hurt," Sophie finished. "You go to bed. You've had a long day. Hopefully tomorrow will be a little calmer."

The girls turned and started for their room.

"Eva," said Chris. Eva turned. "I'm glad that you did not try to do anything stupid. Sometimes running and hiding is the best thing."

Eva nodded.

When everyone was in bed, Eva was still awake. She hadn't bothered changing her clothes because she knew she had to leave.

"Aelita," she whispered.

"I'm awake," said Aelita. "I can't sleep."

"Me, neither," said Eva. "I have some business to take care of. I'm not going to come back to the hotel room when I'm done. I'm going to sleep on the bus. Okay? Tell them that I felt better sleeping on the bus, okay?"

"Yes," said Aelita. "I'll see you in the morning."

Eva left the room.

As soon as Aelita thought Eva had left the hotel, she took out her mobile and called Kayla.

"Hello?" came the sleepy voice of Eva's closest friend.

"Kayla, it's Aelita."

"It's early, Aelita," mumbled Kayla. "Can't this wait until morning?"

"No." Aelita began telling Kayla what happened at the dance.

"What?" asked Kayla when Aelita told her that she was held at gunpoint.

"Yeah, Eva managed to get him away from me and then he shot at her and almost hit me," Aelita went on. Kayla, I thought Eva was going to kill the guy. She sliced him up so bad that they had to bring him out on a gurney. At one point she had a gun to his head!"

"Oh, my," breathed Kayla. "That's what you were trying to tell me."

"What?" asked Aelita, thinking she missed something.

"Not you. Bon Ami," said Kayla. "About the time that Eva would have been pounding that guy to a pulp for threatening you, Bon Ami started howling. A few thousand miles apart and the dog still knows what's going on with his master."

"He was howling?" asked Aelita. She thought about something else. "Was Bon Ami howling this morning?"

"Yes," said Kayla. "He wouldn't shut up."

"How long did it go on for?" asked Aelita.

"About an hour," replied Kayla. "Why?"

That was about the same time that Eva was having her nightmare. "Kayla, something really weird is going on here," said Aelita. She got out of bed and started up her laptop. "I'm going to send you a video we took this morning. I am not making any of this up, you have to believe me."

"Switch to video chat," said Kayla.

Aelita hung up her mobile and logged in to the video chat room. Aelita sent Kayla the video and Kayla watched it.

"This is really happening?" asked Kayla. "This type of thing is an everyday occurrence there?"

"From what I'm told, yes," said Aelita.

Kayla put a hand over her mouth.

"What is it?" asked Aelita.

"Aelita, Eva snapped at school," said Kayla. "You have to keep an eye on her. You're going to have to be her beacon light. Where is she now?"

"Out," said Aelita. "She had to retrieve her gear bag from the school."

"She's going to get rid of the evidence," said Kayla.

"I hope she doesn't bring that gun back," said Aelita.

"She'll throw it away," said Kayla. "The gun's hot; she wouldn't dare keep it longer than she needed to."

"Kayla, I'm scared," said Aelita. "I don't know how to be her beacon light. That was always your thing."

"Aelita, it'll be okay. She loves you like her own sister," said Kayla. "You'll be fine. You already are her beacon light in some ways. Franz told her to look after you and that's exactly what she's going to do."

"She doesn't need to kill for me," argued Aelita.

"She will neutralize any threat," said Kayla. "I know she wouldn't do it unless it was a last resort, but she will kill someone. Remember when the men in black turned the supercalculator back on? She was willing to fight until the very end to protect us. Our safety, your safety, comes first in her mind."

Aelita shook her head. "I don't like this."

Kayla smiled humorlessly. "Neither do I. But it's our only option."

Aelita sighed. "I'll see you later, Kayla."

"Good night," said Kayla.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Eva ran back to the school. No one was paying any attention to the outside of the building since all of the action happened inside. Eva walked around to the dumpster and climbed up. She saw her gear bag laying right on top where she expected it to fall. She took it and slipped away.<p>

Eva walked to Lake Eerie and hurled the gun into the water. Her ski mask had her knife wrapped in it and it was bloody. She put the ski mask in a trash can far from the school. Her clothes would need to be washed and her knife needed to be cleaned of the blood.

Eva found a laundromat and broke in. She kept the lights off and ran her clothes through a wash cycle. She loved silence and having time to herself, but tonight she needed someone to talk to. Eva opened her locket. She stared at the picture of herself and Mackenzie.

"Macaroon, I'm so sorry," whispered Eva. "This never was my intent."

Eva closed the locket and picked up her mobile. Hopefully he wouldn't be too upset with her when she woke him.

After the sixth ring, Eva got an answer.

"Hello?" grumbled the voice on the other end.

"Nicky?"

"Eva?" said Nicolas, a bit more awake now. "What's wrong?"

"Nicky, this town we're in is insane," said Eva. "There are ghosts here. I've seen them."

"Really?" asked Nicolas. "That sounds so cool. I wish I was there."

"I'm not sure, Nicolas," said Eva. "These ghost hunters threatened the lives of high school students at a dance. I was able to take them down before things got out of hand, but. . ." She sniffed, feeling tears coming down her cheeks.

"Eva, what happened?" asked Nicolas, a bit anxious. There was some mumbling in the background. "I'm talking to Eva." More mumbling. "Hold on a minute. I have to leave room."

A minute later, Eva heard a door close. It sounded like that bathroom door on the boys' floor.

"Okay," said Nicolas. "Now what happened?"

Eva began crying. "Nicky, I almost killed someone," she answered, her voice breaking.

"What?" asked Nicolas.

"I thought he hurt Aelita," said Eva. "I have never felt such murderous rage since I found out that it was _him_ who killed Mackenzie."

"Your father?" whispered Nicolas.

"He is not my father any longer," growled Eva.

Nicolas let out a shuddering breath. "Where are you? What city are you in?"

"Amity Park, Illinois," said Eva. "We're going to be here for a few days."

There was a moment of silence as Nicolas thought about something.

"Eva, I'm coming," he said.

"What?" asked Eva.

"I'm coming to America," said Nicolas. "I don't care what I have to do, but I'm going to be there with you. You need someone to help you." He chuckled. "How much about ghosts do you know?"

"Nicolas," said Eva.

"Don't argue," said Nicolas.

The lights of a white van caught Eva's eye. She ducked down behind a dryer. "Nicky, I have to go."

"Stay safe," said Nicolas.

Eva hung up. Her clothes were in the dryer. She pulled them out and got dressed, not caring that her clothes were still a little damp. Eva hurried out the way she came, locking it behind her. Sticking to the shadows, Eva followed the van the best she could. It came to a screeching halt and Agents K and O jumped out and ran into an old warehouse. What were they doing?

Sneaking around, Eva heard someone shouting, "I AM THE BOX GHOST! YOU CANNOT STOP ME!"

A moment later there was a yell and a flash of bright light. Eva peeked inside and saw a blue ghost dressed as a warehouse worker being sucked into some sort of containment device. She gasped. Agents K and O came back out and threw it into the back of their van.

"Mission accomplished," said one of them.

Eva felt like she had to do something. The ghost did not seem to be evil and he was scared of the men. Eva had an idea. The plan would probably get her arrested if she got caught or seriously injured, but she wasn't about to let these guys just capture a ghost and do who knew what to him.

Eva ran around the block, predicting the route the van would take. She put her leather gloves on and pulled her mask on and her hood up. She raced around and waited for the exact moment to strike. When she deemed the moment right, Eva ran out in front of the van. The van came to a screeching halt, but not before hitting Eva. It did not hit Eva hard enough to hurt her, but she made it look like they had hit her harder than she had been. She rolled onto the road, keeping her face hidden.

The agents jumped out of the van.

"It's a kid," said Agent K.

"Is he dead?" asked Agent O.

"I don't know," said Agent K. "Call an ambulance."

Eva saw one of the agents kneeling down at her. She jumped up and hit him in the face. Agent O let out a yell of surprise. Eva slammed her foot into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him.

"It's a ghost!" yelled Agent K, getting to his feet.

Eva jumped into the van and threw it in reverse. She sped backwards before turning the van around and driving off. Eva only went a few blocks and parked in an alley. She went into the back of the van and found more equipment with the same green glowing designs. She found the containment device. It was easy to open. There was a button marked "Release" on the device. Eva pressed the button.

She moved back as the ghost came out.

"I AM THE BOX GHOST! YOUR SIMPLE DEVICE COULD NOT CONTAIN ME!" The Box Ghost turned and saw that the agents weren't around and only someone with the face of a skull was there. "BEWARE!" he boomed.

Eva did not flinch. She could tell that he was all noise and little action. She opened the van's sliding door and hopped out. She glanced over her shoulder to see if the ghost was following her.

The Box Ghost frowned. "You are not going to challenge me? YOU ARE VERY SMART NOT TO CHALLENGE THE BOX GHOST!"

Eva turned to him. She decided that she would need to speak to this one. "If you don't mind, I would appreciate it greatly if you lowered the volume of your voice," she said in her raspy voice. "You do not wish to be caught again, do you?"

The Box Ghost thought about it. "The Box Ghost has decided to lower his voice."

"Thank you," said Eva. "I suggest you go now. Those agents will find their van soon."

The Box Ghost nodded and left, but not before adding in a low voice, "Beware!"

Eva began walking out of the alley and heard tires squealing down the street. Coming toward her was an RV with a ghost logo on it. Eva turned around and ran back the way she came. She looked around for a way out. Looking up, she saw that she could climb up a thick metal rain spout. She switched her gloves, her fingerless gloves able to get a better grip on things. She took a few steps back and ran at the spout. Eva pulled herself up as fast as she could. The RV pulled in just as she made it over the side of the roof.

"Are you sure there's a spook here, Jack?" asked a woman in a blue jumpsuit.

"I'm sure, Maddie," said a large man in an orange jumpsuit.

Eva watched them for a moment. Seeing that they weren't much of a threat to her, Eva turned and ran across the roof, using a cat leap to jump to the adjacent building. She kept doing this until she was sure she was far enough away to take to the streets again. All the while Eva was aware that the Box Ghost was watching her. It wasn't until she made an honest attempt to disappear that she lost him. Only then did Eva return back to the bus.

* * *

><p>Danny was asleep in his room. He was too tired to go on patrol, especially what happened at the dance tonight. Tomorrow was Saturday and he could sleep in and he was going to use that time to get caught up on his sleep.<p>

A chill ran through him. There was a ghost nearby, but he could not wake himself. He felt a cold hand rest on his brow for a brief moment before sleep pulled him back down into the darkness.

A voice filled Danny's mind.

"Daniel."

Clearly Clockwork because Clockwork was the only ally of Phantom's that called him by his full name. And who else would it be to not immediately attack him?

"Daniel, listen closely," said Clockwork. "What happened tonight was just the beginning. He is escaping, Daniel. He must be stopped. This time, containing him is not an option. He must be destroyed."

"Who?" Danny asked.

"You know who," said Clockwork.

"Who?" Danny asked again, dreading the answer.

"Dan Phantom."

"No," breathed Danny in horror. "How? I barely beat him once. How am I supposed to do it again when he knows my every move?"

"You will not be alone in this fight, Daniel," said Clockwork. "There is one other who can defeat Dan Phantom, but not alone."

"Who is it?" asked Danny.

"Tonight was just the beginning," Clockwork said again. "This road is a long and hard one, but if you succeed, everything will turn out for the better."

That was the last of what Clockwork had to say. Danny was left alone in his dreams.

* * *

><p>In Clockwork's lair, there was a deafening explosion. Dan Phantom burst out of the thermos.<p>

"Freedom!" he yelled. He stretched. "Being stuck in that blasted thermos has put a real kink in my neck," Dan said, twisting his head around. "Much better. Now, down to work. My past self won't be able to stop me once my plan has been put into action."

Dan let out a maniacal laugh as he zoomed out of the clock tower.

* * *

><p>Clockwork returned to his lair, knowing already that Dan Phantom had escaped. He knew in about five seconds the Observants would be coming to him.<p>

On cue, two green ghosts in capes with an eye for a face appeared.

"Clockwork, what have you done?" one shouted.

"You allowed the most dangerous ghost in history to escape!" the second roared.

"We put him in your care because we thought you could keep him contained," said the first Observant. "Clearly we were wrong!"

"Now Dan Phantom speeds to claim the Spirit Orbs," the second put in.

"I know," Clockwork said calmly, looking at the Observants.

The Observants were outraged.

"He must be stopped before he becomes too powerful!" yelled the first.

"Yes, he must," said Clockwork.

"How can you be so calm?" asked the first Observant. "Has being the master of time for so long taken its toll on your wits?"

Clockwork frowned. "I know exactly what I am doing," he said. Clockwork's staff began to glow and his eyes shone like fire.

"Clockwork, what are you doing?" asked the second Observant.

"The pieces are in place," Clockwork said. "Now it is all a matter of how the game is played." With a dramatic sweep of his staff, Clockwork teleported.

The Observants stood in stunned silence. The master of time, the jailer of the most evil ghost in the Ghost Zone, had just abandoned them.

* * *

><p>Aelita woke up in the morning and did not see Eva in her bed. Then she remembered that Eva was sleeping on the bus. Aelita got dressed and told Sophie that she was going to go to the mall with Eva.<p>

Aelita went to the bus and found Eva standing by the kitchenette in her camisole and boy shorts. Her body sported bruises from last night, several Aelita did not remember Eva getting.

"Did you even sleep last night?" asked Aelita.

Eva turned to Aelita. "No," she answered.

Aelita walked over to Eva and saw that the dark circles around her eyes were darker than usual.

"Did you have another nightmare?" Aelita asked.

"Not a nightmare," said Eva. "There's something coming, something big."

"Does it have anything to do with those bruises?" asked Aelita, pointing to Eva's arm.

"No," Eva said, putting a hand over the bruise. "This was from something else. Aelita, I don't know how to tell you how I know. I just do."

Aelita put her hand up. "You don't have to explain it to me. This isn't the first time."

Eva's eyes reflected how grateful she was that Aelita was not asking for explanation.

"I told Sophie that we're going to the mall," said Aelita. "How about you get dressed and we head over there to get something to eat?"

Eva's shoulders sagged as she walked back to the bunks to get dressed.

They decided to stop at the café Aelita got their breakfast from yesterday. After purchasing their coffee and donuts, they walked out and bumped into the Vlad Masters.

"Good morning, ladies," he said. "How is our visit to Amity Park?"

"It could be better," said Aelita.

"Oh, dear," said Vlad. "You were at the school when those crazy ghost hunters took everyone hostage, weren't you? I am so sorry about all that. You weren't hurt were you?"

"No," answered Aelita.

"I heard that Phantom showed up and saved everyone," said Vlad.

Aelita frowned slightly. "Phantom wasn't the only one who helped us," she said.

Vlad arched a brow. "Really? Who was the other?"

"We're not sure," Eva broke in. "Excuse us. We have plans. Have a nice day, Mr. Masters." Eva gave Aelita a push out the door.

"What was that about?" asked Aelita.

"He's fishing," said Eva.

They got to the mall and began poking around. The stores weren't full yet and they could take their time.

"Clockwork visited you last night?" Eva pricked up her ears as she heard Tucker's voice coming from a secluded area of the atrium. "What did he tell you? Was it something about last night?"

Eva reached out and tapped Aelita's shoulder. She put a finger to her lips and then tapped her ear. Aelita listened.

"He said that last night was just the beginning," said Danny.

"Danny, Tucker, and Sam," whispered Aelita, looking over Eva's shoulder.

Eva nodded and continued listening.

"He said Dan Phantom is escaping," said Danny.

"What?" cried his two friends, forgetting to keep their voices down.

"Not so loud!" hissed Danny. "He said I wouldn't be alone in this fight and that if I succeed, everything will turn out for the better."

"What is that supposed to mean?" asked Tucker.

"I don't know," said Danny. "That's all he told me. I think the other person was the one from last night."

"The 'monster' those ghost hunting quacks were talking about?" asked Sam, using air quotes.

Aelita and Eva looked at each other.

"I wonder who he was," said Tucker.

"Same here," said Danny. His ghost sense went off right at that moment. "Oh, no."

Eva froze.

"What?" asked Aelita.

"Take cover," Eva said, looking around.

There was a crash from one of the stores. Eva turned to the store and then back to where Danny and his friends were standing. Tucker and Sam jumped in front of Danny. There was a burst of white light and Danny Phantom flew up from behind them. He quickly disappeared into the store.

Eva ran in, fighting against the people who were running out. Once inside, Eva saw that it was a furniture store. She saw Danny Phantom in the back fighting against a traditional, shapeless ghost.

There was screaming coming from the atrium and an explosion. Eva turned on her heel and went running out of the store to see what was causing the ruckus out there. There were two ghosts, one a wolf in a green sweat suit and another was wild looking humanoid bent on tearing whatever it could get its hands on to shreds. The wolf and the humanoid were going at it.

Eva looked around and saw Tucker and Sam taking things out of their pockets. Tucker was shouting something in another language. The wolf looked up and was punched in the mouth by the humanoid. The wolf yelped and was sent across the atrium.

The mall had cleared out for the most part. Eva did not want to give away that she was the vigilante from last night, but she did not have her mask with her. At the moment she really had not choice.

The humanoid ghost turned to Sam and Tucker. Sam and Tucker began shooting at it with weapons with green designs on the side and the logo from the RV Eva saw last night. The humanoid was shot a few times, but it just made it angry. It charged Sam and Tucker.

Eva ran over to them, intercepting the ghost before it could attack Sam and Tucker, and did a flying kick. The humanoid ghost was stunned. It staggered away from them and turned to Eva, an enraged look in its red eyes. It prepared to pounce on her.

A large amount of room was what Eva needed and she had it. Evasion would serve her better than direct attacks. The ghost charged, lunging for Eva. Eva jumped out of the way, rolling across the floor before getting back to her feet. The ghost came at her again and again and each time Eva rolled or flipped out of the way. At one point, Eva got up on her hands and spun around, her feet kicking the ghost.

The humanoid ghost let out a roar. Eva turned to face it and saw it coming right for her. If she jumped to either side it would catch her, so Eva did the next best thing. The ghost dove for her. Eva jumped into the air and flipped over it. She then executed several front flips and hand springs to put some distance between them. Eva stopped running and began shifting her weight from side to side, preparing herself to kick the ghost again.

"Danny!" Tucker yelled.

A moment later there was a bright light that sucked the humanoid ghost into a thermos. Danny Phantom was hovering above them, having just finished his fight with the ghost in the store.

Aelita ran over to Eva. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Fine," replied Eva.

A snarl caught the girls' attention. They turned and saw the wolf ghost getting up. It was looking at Eva and Aelita. Aelita froze, terrified of wolves. Eva moved in front of her, putting her hands out to either push Aelita out of the way or fight the wolf.

The hand Eva had out toward the wolf ghost was raised and angled so the palm was pointing downwards. "Easy," Eva said in French, her rasp low. "Easy. Shh, shh. It's okay." Very slowly, Eva began moving forward, still speaking in French.

Danny came over to Tucker and Sam. "Okay, I got them both," he said.

"Where's Wulf?" asked Tucker.

Sam pointed. "There!"

Their eyes widened when they saw Aelita and Eva.

"What is she doing?" cried Danny.

Eva kept getting closer and closer. Soon her hand was so close to the wolf ghost she could pet its fur. Now she held it palm up for it to smell. The wolf ghost sniffed her hand before sniffing her arm and the rest of her body.

"Good," Eva whispered. "Good."

The wolf ghost licked her and began wagging its tail.

Eva turned to see Aelita standing petrified in terror. Not far from her were Danny, Tucker, and Sam. They were staring at her with wide eyes.

"Wulf!" Tucker finally said.

The wolf ghost turned to them. "Amiko!"

Danny, Tucker, and Sam walked up to Wulf and Wulf greeted them by licking their faces. Wulf looked at Aelita and said something to Tucker.

"What's he saying?" asked Sam.

"He wants to know if she's a friend," said Tucker. Tucker answered.

Wulf turned to Aelita and walked up to her. Aelita scampered back. Wulf paused, his ears folding back like a lonesome puppy dog.

Eva went to Aelita's side. "He's not going to hurt you," she said. "It's okay. Come on."

Aelita pressed herself against Eva's arm as Eva guided her to Wulf. Wulf sniffed her and licked her face.

"See? He's friendly," said Eva.

Eva turned to Team Phantom. "You work very efficiently. I can tell you've been doing this for a long time."

"Well," said Sam.

Eva put her hand up. "I do not know the details and at the moment I do not care for them." She turned to Danny. "I simply know that Danny Phantom here is also Danny Fenton."

They paled. They opened their mouths to speak, but Eva put her hand up again.

"Aelita and I have our own secrets we value," Eva continued.

Danny narrowed his green eyes. "It's you," he said in a tone of almost disbelief. "It was you last night who took down those men. And it was you who helped me yesterday morning!"

Eva nodded.

"But why?" asked Sam.

"Do I need a reason to help someone?" asked Eva. "Why I did what I did is my business not yours. Do not trouble yourselves with it." Eva turned her head to the main doors. "We need to continue this conversation some place else."

"We can go to my house," said Danny. "I'll head back awhile."

"We'll meet you there," said Tucker.

Just as Danny left, Jack and Maddie came running in.

"Ghost!" Jack bellowed, seeing Wulf.

Wulf jumped and ripped open a portal to escape.

"Are you kids all right?" asked Jack.

"We're fine, Mr. Fenton," said Sam.

"Where's Danny?" asked Maddie.

"He already left before the ghost came," said Tucker. "He said he was on his way home."

"We'll give you kids a lift back to our house," said Jack. "And on the way you can hear me blabber on about ghosts!"

Sam and Tucker looked at each other with strained faces. They knew Jack's driving was insane to say the least.

* * *

><p><strong>Gear and Abilities: Eva<strong>

**The abilities and weapons that Eva and Kayla possessed was probably the easiest thing in the entire series to do. Light and Shadow, black and white, that's what went through my head. Eva was a dark character and so I made her LYOKO outfit scary by incorporating the skull face paint and the white eyes. I also added the skull shoulder armor. I wanted to show that Eva considered herself dead already. The invisibility and possession ability were ghost traits and she was a bit of a phantasm to begin with with being able to sneak around without being seen.**


	6. White Tower

**Gear and Abilities: Kayla**

**For Kayla, I wanted her to be like a queen's double, or in Aelita's case, a princess' double. I used Aelita's outfit as the jumping off point and changed the colors and the designs around a little with the gold and the silver fleurs-de-lis. I made her rich looking with the hair style and the flower barrette. The mace/morning star I gave her was based off of the _Lord of the Rings_ morning star that the ringwraith had in the third movie. Kayla's ability to switch with Aelita came from the princess' double idea, too. I thought it would be cool to be able to have Aelita have a way to escape the Scyphozoa. Kayla would rescue her, take her place, and blast the Scyphozoa at the same time. Later I added the super jump, but that was more of an afterthought.**

* * *

><p>Sam, Tucker, Aelita, and Eva made it to Fenton Works in one piece. Aelita and Eva weren't too shook up from the ride. However they weren't expecting to see the spaceship like building on top of the house when they got out of the RV. They went inside and up to Danny's bedroom, bumping into Jazz on the way up.<p>

"Hey, guys," she said. She looked at Aelita. "I remember you."

"I'm glad to see you're okay," said Aelita.

"Same to you," said Jazz. "Danny's in his room."

They entered Danny's room and found Danny Fenton sitting on the bed waiting for them. The questions about Eva and Aelita began pouring out as soon as the bedroom door was closed. Eva and Aelita told them as much as they could without revealing too much about LYOKO and their other adventures.

"So you could tell Danny is Phantom just by looking at his eyes?" asked Tucker.

Eva nodded. "It's a skill I picked up."

"From where?" asked Sam. "And can I learn it?"

Eva lowered her gaze. "I learned it from the streets. As for teaching it to you, it could prove difficult. I had to learn it for myself and the way I taught myself was less than fun. You don't need to know the details."

"I think you are meant to be here, Eva," said Danny.

Eva turned to Danny. "I know," she said.

The others frowned.

"You do?" asked Danny.

Eva nodded. "This wouldn't happen to have something to do with a homicidal ghost that looks like an older version of Phantom, does it?"

They gaped at her. Aelita giggled at their expressions. "She does that a lot," said Aelita.

"How could you know about Dan Phantom?" asked Tucker.

"I dreamt about him," said Eva. "I watched him kill everyone I love and I could do nothing to stop him."

Danny suddenly shivered and a stream of blue came out of his mouth. There was a commotion downstairs.

"Oh, crud!" he hissed, bolting out of the room, the others behind him.

In the lab, the Box Ghost was wrecking everything. Team Phantom came down and saw. Danny groaned and grabbed the Fenton Thermos.

"You again?" asked Danny. "Don't you ever take a break?" He suddenly had an idea. "What's going on in the Ghost Zone?"

"BEWARE! I AM THE BOX GHOST! I WILL NOT ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS!" he boomed.

"No, but you will answer mine!" Eva called out.

The Box Ghost whipped around. "I know that voice. YOU! It was you who helped me escape from the ghost hunters."

Eva nodded. "For courtesy's sake, you can answer a few questions."

The Box Ghost floated in front of Eva. "What do you want to know?"

Eva turned to Danny and motioned that the hybrid had the floor.

"What is happening in the Ghost Zone?" asked Danny.

The Box Ghost gave Danny an annoyed look, but a growl from Eva instantly loosened the ghost's tongue. "There is a ghost tearing around the Ghost Zone. BEWARE! HE IS MORE POWERFUL THAN THE BOX GHOST!"

Sam looked at Danny. "You think he escaped?" she asked.

"One way to find out," said Danny. "We'll go to Clockwork."

"You're not going anywhere without us," said Eva.

Danny nodded. "Okay."

"BEWARE!" shouted the Box Ghost.

Danny aimed the thermos at him and sucked him up.

* * *

><p>Not long after the five of them were in the Specter Speeder and racing through the Ghost Zone. Eva was sitting in the back, folded up in her seat with her head down.<p>

"Is she asleep?" asked Sam.

Aelita looked at Eva. "No," she answered. "She does this. Eva doesn't really sleep. She closes her eyes for a few minutes and then be up and about."

"That can't be healthy," said Sam.

"It's not," said Aelita. "The times she knows she needs to sleep and she can't, she'll take cold medicine just to put her out for a few hours."

They chatted quietly so Eva could rest in peace. Mostly it was about what went on at their schools. It was a couple of hours until they were able to find Clockwork's lair. When they reached it, Danny went ghost and went to the front door.

"Are you sure it's okay to do this?" Aelita asked as they entered the clock tower.

"It's fine," said Danny. "Clockwork knows everything. He's the master of time. He already knows we're here. Any second now he'll pop up and say hello."

"No, he will not," came a voice, certainly not Clockwork's.

Everyone jumped and whirled around to the source of the voice. Two Observants were floating near the screens where Clockwork watched time flow. Eva quickly pulled Aelita behind her to protect her.

"What's going on?" asked Danny.

"Clockwork allowed Dan Phantom, your future self, to escape," said one Observant.

"What?" Tucker yelped.

"He knew this would happen," said Danny.

"But he did nothing to prevent it," said the second Observant. "Now Dan Phantom is free and tracking down the most powerful artifacts in the Ghost Zone."

"What are they?" asked Danny.

"They are called the Spirit Orbs," said the first Observant. "Two orbs, each possessing a great power. Together, they can make a ghost unstoppable."

"The Spirit Orbs are kept in separate towers far from each other," said the second Observant. "It was a precaution in case a powerful ghost tried to get them both, someone else could get the other before the ghost."

"The two orbs are the Victory Orb or the black orb and the Duality Orb or the white orb," said the first Observant. "The Victory Orb is Dan Phantom's first goal. He is on the way to the tower that houses it. You must get to the Duality Orb before he can."

"Slow down," said Sam. "There's something you're not telling us."

"And I get the feeling it's more than just one thing," said Danny, crossing his arms.

The Observants looked at each other before sighing.

"Each orb possesses its own unique power," said the first Observant. "The Victory Orb can be used by any ghost to gain unimaginable power and strength."

"The Duality Orb is different," said the second Observant. "It also gives unimaginable power to the wielder, but the only ones who can use it are one who know duality."

"Know duality?" asked Danny with a frown. "How can you know duality?"

"They must know joy and sorrow, life and death, love and hatred," said the second Observant. "These emotions must be experienced in some form in order for one to use the Duality Orb."

Sam's face lit up. "Dan can't use the Duality Orb. He doesn't know love!"

"But he can take the orb away," said the first Observant. "Part of the orbs' power is based on the strength of the wielders. The orbs can cancel each other out, but they can also overpower the other."

"It's strength of will that determines the power gained," Eva said.

"Yes," said the first Observant. "At least someone understands."

"So I could use the Duality Orb," said Danny.

"But would you gain the strength necessary to destroy Dan Phantom?" asked the second Observant.

"You tell me," said Danny. "You see the future."

The Observants exchanged nervous glances.

"We do not know," said the first Observant.

"What?" Danny, Tucker, and Sam said at the same time.

"How can you not know?" asked Danny.

"The only ghost who knows the identity of the one who can wield the Duality Orb with enough power to destroy Dan Phantom has abandoned you," said the first Observant.

"What are you talking about?" asked Danny.

"Clockwork has fled," said the first Observant. "He's left us to be destroyed. You, too, Danny Phantom."

Danny paled, his green eyes widening. Clockwork abandoned him? No, that could not be true. Clockwork would not do that. He came to Danny and told him what needed to be done. Why run away?

"Clockwork must have his reasons," Aelita spoke up.

Eva put a hand on Aelita's shoulder. "Let's worry about Clockwork and his reasons later," she said. "Right now, we have work to do. We have to get to the Duality Orb before Dan Phantom does. Where is the Duality Orb?"

"In a tower on the other side of the Ghost Zone," said the first Observant. "If you leave now, you should have enough time to get there before Dan Phantom."

"Should?" asked Tucker.

"Dan Phantom exists outside the time line," said the second Observant. "We cannot be certain of anything he does."

"Let's move," said Eva, heading for the doors.

* * *

><p>The five of them were back in the Specter Speeder, heading for the far side of the Ghost Zone. They were taking turns resting. Sam was currently driving while Aelita, Tucker, and Danny were trying to sleep. Eva was sitting beside Sam watching what went by. She would look at the navigation system now and then to be sure they were on the right track, the Observants being kind enough to provide the coordinates for the Duality Orb's tower.<p>

Sam looked at the clock built into the dash. "My parents are going to be ticked," she said.

Eva glanced at the clock. "My cousin will be, too," she said. "Oh, well."

"I'd tell you to call him, but there's no reception in the Ghost Zone," said Sam.

"It's better this way," said Eva. "I wouldn't know what to say to him. I certainly cannot explain this."

Eva heard a small sound and turned around. Danny was shifting uneasily in his sleep.

"Tell me about Dan Phantom," said Eva.

Sam gave a small start. "I guess you should know since you're in this with us. Dan Phantom is Danny's future self. Originally Danny lost everyone he loved and Mr. Lancer in an explosion at the Nasty Burger. Danny couldn't deal with the loss so he went to his archenemy to rid himself of his human emotions. When he did, he separated his ghost half from his human half. The ghost half attacked his enemy and stole his powers from him, creating Dan Phantom. His enemy managed to escape, but the human Danny, our Danny, was destroyed."

"You said 'originally'," Eva pointed out.

"Clockwork showed Danny what was going to happen in the future and Danny managed to contain his future self in the Fenton Thermos, which Clockwork took for safe keeping. Clockwork also stopped the explosion from happening."

"Dan Phantom needed the explosion to kill you so Danny Phantom could become Dan Phantom in the future," said Eva. "Do I have that right?"

"Yes," replied Sam.

"So why hasn't Dan Phantom disappeared?" asked Eva. "If the time line has been changed, why does Dan Phantom still exist?"

"I think there is a chance that Danny may still become Dan if something happens to us," said Sam. "He saw what happened to himself; he does not take loss well. If something happens to one of us, he'll blame himself whether he could have prevented it or not. That's just how good of a person Danny is."

Eva looked back at Danny again. His face was scrunched up like he was having a nightmare. He mumbled something in his sleep. Eva got out of her seat and went back to Danny. She scooped him up and rested his head against her shoulder. Eva began to sing softly, just as if it was Mackenzie on her shoulder and not Danny.

"The sun has set. The moon has risen. The day is done, or is it the beginning? Night is the gateway to the land of dreams. The place where everything is what you want it to be."

Eva saw Danny waking and she stroked his black hair. Danny opened his eyes and gave a start. He quickly removed himself from Eva's grip.

"Sorry," he said awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"It's fine," said Eva.

"Uh, I'll take over for you, Sam," said Danny, getting up.

Sam and Danny switched places so Danny could drive. Sam took Danny's place in the back to get some rest. Eva sat in the passenger's seat. There was a long moment of silence before anyone said anything.

"You can fight," said Danny.

"Yes," said Eva.

"No, I mean you can really fight," said Danny. "I thought only people in the movies could move like that. You just. . . wow!"

"Like you, my friends and I have done things to save the world," said Eva. "Few know what we did."

"What did you do?" asked Danny.

"Saved the world from an artificial intelligence program that took on a mind of its own and wanted to take over the world," said Eva.

Danny looked at her with wide blue eyes.

"Ghosts aren't the only things out there," said Eva. "But we don't have to worry about it anymore. It's gone and it is not coming back."

"Do you miss it?" asked Danny.

"Fighting against it and saving the world?" asked Eva. "Yes, I miss it. I miss my powers as well."

"You had powers?" asked Danny.

"Well, we weren't exactly fighting in the real world," said Eva. "Virtual reality can get crazy, especially when your powers are based on your subconscious."

"Were you good?" asked Danny.

"Yes," replied Eva. "I wasn't the fastest or the strongest, but I could stay in a fight for a while."

"So you learn to fight to save the world?" asked Danny.

"No," answered Eva. "I learned to fight to survive." She put her head down. "My life is a Cinderella story, Danny, and the beginning was far worse for me than for her. Let's say that the beginning of my life prepared me for fighting to save the world."

"I think we are here," said Danny.

Eva looked up and saw a white tower supported by flying buttresses. It was larger than the towers in LYOKO and she had a feeling this was going to be like trying to get through Sector Five.

They woke the others and put a plan together. Danny would go in as Phantom and find the orb. The others were to stay as backup.

Danny got out of the Specter Speeder and was about to enter the tower.

"Hello, Danny," said a cold voice.

Danny whirled around. Dan Phantom was standing behind him, hands on his hips. Danny's eyes widened.

"Did you miss me?" asked Dan.

"Oh, no," said Sam from inside the speeder. "He's here! He's already here!"

Tucker, Aelita, and Eva went to the window and looked out. Eva paled. It was the monster from her dream.

"Have you come for the Duality Orb?" asked Dan. "If you are hoping to defeat me with it, you will be disappointed."

"You already have it?" asked Danny.

"Not as of yet," said Dan nonchalantly. "But I do have this." Dan held up a black orb the size of a grapefruit. "Ready?"

Dan crushed the orb and black energy swept over his body. It turned green and Dan sighed. "Ah, the power is amazing!" He looked at Danny. "Don't worry, Danny. I need you alive. How else would I come into existence if you do not exist? But I need something else; the death of your friends!"

"Run!" Danny shouted. He put his hands up and fired and ecto-blast at Dan.

"You heard him!" said Tucker, jumping into the driver's seat.

"Let me drive," said Aelita, pushing him aside. "It's not my first time driving something like this to escape an enemy."

Aelita expertly steered the Specter Speeder away from the tower, using anything and everything that floated about the Ghost Zone to her advantage.

"Cool, Aelita," said Sam. "Where did you learn to do this?"

"Not the time to answer," said Aelita. She looked in the rearview mirror. Danny and Dan were behind them and Danny was trying to keep Dan occupied.

"We need to get the Duality Orb," said Sam.

"I know, but how?" asked Tucker.

"Eva, do you have any ideas?" Aelita called back to her friend. There was no answer. "Eva?"

Tucker and Sam turned around. Eva was gone. Tucker and Sam exchanged confused and surprised looks. When had Eva disappeared?

Hearing there was no answer from Eva and the silence from Tucker and Sam, Aelita figured what had happened. "She's two steps ahead of us," Aelita said. "She'll get the Duality Orb for us."

* * *

><p>Eva had slipped out the door after she saw Dan Phantom. She was not going to let that monster destroy her family after all she'd been through to save the world and her loved ones from XANA. She was going to do whatever it took to get that Duality Orb.<p>

The tower's entrance hall was decorated with banners. Large columns rose to the top of the tower. There was a staircase that spiraled around the support column of the tower. Eva ran to the stairs and began climbing them.

* * *

><p>Danny was doing everything he could to fight off Dan. Dan was almost too powerful for Danny. Danny knew that Dan wasn't going to kill him, he said so himself, but he could certainly beat him so badly that he wouldn't be able to do a thing to stop him from hurting one of his friends.<p>

Danny wasn't sure what he was going to do. How could he defeat someone who knew his every move before he made it? Dan was Danny! Danny would have to improvise. Using what he saw Eva using last night at the dance, Danny attacked. His movements were a bit clumsy, but it put Dan Phantom off-guard for a moment.

* * *

><p>Inside the tower, Eva looked out a window and saw the fight. They were very close to the tower, too close for Eva's liking, but she could make out what they were saying. If Danny could keep playing for time, Eva could have the Duality Orb in her possession.<p>

"Clever," said Dan. "You used a move I did not learn before the explosion of the Nasty Burger. You're smarter than I remember."

Danny gave a short laugh. "I remembered what happened with my ghostly wail. I learned it ten years before you did. If time has been altered, I should know things that you don't."

"But yet you still become me," said Dan. "As long as I exist, you will become me no matter what you do."

"How about I wipe you from existence?" snapped Danny, attacking with another ghost ray.

Dan simply deflected it with his hand. "I'm getting bored. How about I destroy your friends?"

Dan duplicated, sending his duplicate off to find Sam, Tucker, and Aelita.

"No!" Danny yelled.

"Crud!" hissed Eva, bolting up the stairs.

Danny sucked in a breath and used his ghostly wail on the duplicate. The duplicate was destroyed. Now Danny was left almost powerless and Dan was upon him. Dan shot Danny in the back and Danny fell onto the steps of the tower.

* * *

><p>Eva pushed open a large pair of doors and entered a chamber. In the middle was a white glowing orb sitting on a cushion.<p>

"That must be it," said Eva.

But between her and her goal was an obstacle course of blades and clubs. Eva figured as soon as she stepped off onto the course, it would start moving and try to cut her down. She snorted. This was not much different from LYOKO, only that she would die if she got hit instead of devirtualized.

"Okay," said Eva, preparing herself. "Here we go."

Eva got a running start and the obstacle course began to move. Blades swung from the ceiling, the floor shifted to reveal hidden spikes, and clubs turned on wheels, all threatening to kill her if she was not careful. Eva hopped, jumped, flipped, and slid over and under the obstacles. She finally made it to the orb. She took it from its place on the cushion.

"I've got you," she said.

There was a crash below her. It sounded like Dan Phantom was pummeling Danny into a pulp. Eva could not go back the way she came. She looked around the room. There was a window.

* * *

><p>Danny let out several cries of pain as Dan kicked him repeatedly.<p>

"This hurts me just as much as it hurts you, Danny," said Dan, grinning.

Danny finally returned to human form.

Dan looked up at the ceiling. "Now for the Duality Orb. I have to make sure you can't use it against me."

Dan floated up to the top of the stairs and opened the door. His evil smile vanished when he saw the Duality Orb was gone.

"What? No!" he yelled.

* * *

><p>Outside, Eva was dragging Danny out to where Aelita had parked the Specter Speeder.<p>

"Let's go," said Eva. "Hurry!"

Aelita opened up the throttle and they flew out of there as fast as they could.

Dan Phantom destroyed the wall and burst out of the tower. In a fit of rage he used his ghostly wail to reduce the white tower to rubble.

"Danny?" Tucker and Sam called to him.

Eva stretched Danny out of the floor. He was bleeding from the various wounds he sustained.

"Take us home, Aelita," Eva said. She turned to Tucker and Sam. "Is there a first aid kit?"

"There should be," said Sam. She began looking for it.

A particular nasty cut on Danny's arm was bleeding badly. It needed immediate attention.

"I can't find it," said Sam.

"It should be there," said Tucker.

A streak of black caught Tucker's eye. He turned and saw Eva had taken her T-shirt off. Eva ripped it into strips and began to wrap Danny's arm.

Tucker and Sam stared at Eva. She had a camisole on, so she was not indecent. What they were looking at were the scars on her shoulders and back. Her left shoulder looked like someone had used it for a pin cushion and the scars looked fresh there.

Eva knew they were staring at her. She ignored them and continued to treat Danny's injuries the best she could with what she had. When she finished, she leaned back, observing Danny.

"Sam, you said that Danny had an enemy," Eva said. "This enemy split Danny into his human and his ghost halves, yes?"

"That's right," said Sam.

Eva was silent for a moment, formulating a plan in her head.

Aelita understood this silence. "What are you thinking about, Eva?"

"We need to go to Danny's enemy," said Eva.

"What?" asked Sam.

"Go to Plasmius?" asked Tucker. "That is insane!"

"I am going to assume that Danny's parents do not know he is Danny Phantom or you wouldn't have been covering for him back at the mall, yes?" said Eva.

"Yes," Tucker said in a small voice.

"Does this Plasmius know about Fenton and Phantom?" asked Eva.

"Yes," Tucker said again.

"We'll go to Plasmius," said Eva. "Something must be done to help Danny."

"Danny is a fast healer," said Tucker.

"Tucker, look at him!" cried Sam. "He's been beaten to a pulp. Even with the enhanced healing abilities it's going to take some time."

"We don't exactly have time right now," said Aelita. "Dan Phantom is out there doing who knows what with those orbs."

"Dan can't use the Duality Orb, remember?" asked Tucker. "Because I sure do."

"Without the Duality Orb, we can't stop him," said Sam. "We need to help Danny. I don't like the idea of it, but we're going to need all the help we can get. Plasmius will probably do this for us this one time. After all, Dan Phantom took Plasmius' ghost half from him, too."

"Ghost half?" asked Aelita. "Plasmius is also half-ghost?"

"His name is Vlad Plasmius," said Tucker. "He is also — "

"Vlad Masters," finished Eva, her eyes widening. "I knew there was a reason I did not like him. The eyes screamed bad guy."

"There's some bad blood between Vlad and Danny's father," said Tucker. "It's a long story."

"Let's concern ourselves with Danny," said Aelita. "Eva, I presume you have a way to get Vlad on our side."

"I think I can persuade him," Eva said.

Once they exited the Ghost Zone, they had to leave the Specter Speeder behind. It was late now, the sun having set over two hours ago. Jazz was hysterical when she saw her little brother beaten bloody and refused to take them to see Plasmius.

Aelita hummed. "A powerful, important man like Vlad Masters; you can't just walk in without an appointment."

"We don't exactly have a choice," said Eva with a biting tone. She looked at Jazz with a dark look.

"I think Dad has his number somewhere," said Jazz with a resigned sigh. Jazz left the lab to get the phone number.

There was an awkward silence between the four of them.

"How did you get those scars?" Tucker asked Eva.

"Like I told Danny, my life started out worse than Cinderella's," Eva said. "This is not the time to discuss it."

Jazz came back downstairs with the first aid kit. "His secretary says he's booked. I can't get an appointment until next week!"

"We don't have that kind of time," said Aelita.

Eva and Jazz began to properly bandage Danny's injuries. Aelita and Eva observed that Danny did in fact heal very quickly.

"Where does Vlad live?" asked Eva.

"In a mansion on the outskirts of town," replied Jazz. "Why?"

Eva smirked. "I think I know how to get that appointment."

Aelita frowned nervously. "Eva, why do I get the feeling you're going to go back to old habits?"

Eva shifted her dark gaze to Aelita.

Aelita sighed. "That's what I thought."


	7. Recruiting Vlad

**Why I Did It: The Continuation of Light and Shadow**** — You probably know from reading my author's notes that this was never intended to become a series. It was just a thing that my friend and I threw together for giggles when I was starting out on . But then I did the Dimensional Warriors Trilogy that had Eva and Kayla in it and then I wanted to do some background information on my OCs. The background information story continued into a fluff piece and then into a full blown series that took on a life of it's own and has consumed me for the past year. I am actually glad that I've done this and it makes me very happy that I can do this.**

* * *

><p>Under the cover of night, a dark figure climbed over the wall surrounding a mansion. Looking up and through the eye holes of her skull mask, Eva took in the surroundings. If you wanted someone's attention, sometimes you needed to take a direct approach. Eva ran around to the backdoor. She picked the lock and entered.<p>

"I'm in," she whispered into the Fenton Headphones.

Around the block in Jazz's car were Jazz, Aelita, Tucker, Sam, and Danny. It was a tight fit, but they managed it somehow.

"All right, Eva," said Tucker. "You need to disarm the alarm."

Eva found the keypad. "What's the code?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," admitted Tucker.

Sam snapped at Tucker, "What do you mean you don't know?"

"Calm down," said Tucker. "It's probably something simple, like his birthday."

"Or Mom's birthday," said Jazz. "Try 6-2-3-6-7."

Eva punched in the code and the alarm was disarmed. "Got it."

Aelita frowned. "Why would he use your mother's birthday as his alarm code?"

"He is obsessed with my mom," said Jazz. "She used to date him before she met my dad."

"He is one seriously crazed up fruit-loop," said Sam.

Eva crept around the mansion. "Where would he be at this time of the day?" she asked.

"Probably in his lab working on some new invention," said Jazz.

"And that would be in his basement," said Tucker.

With Tucker guiding her, Eva went to the basement stairs. She heard someone working on something down there. Eva silently descended the stairs and saw Vlad Masters working on what appeared to be a blaster of some sort. Eva stalked up to him and took out an ecto-gun Jazz had given her. She stood behind him and charged it.

The sound got Vlad's attention. He whirled around and saw his intruder.

"You are a very difficult person to get in touch with," said Eva. "Your secretary has been giving us the run around."

"Do you know who I am?" challenged Vlad, slowly inching his fingers toward the blaster he was working on.

"Vlad Masters, mayor of Amity Park," answered Eva. "Also known as Vlad Plasmius, the Wisconsin Ghost."

Vlad's cocky mask slipped. "What are you talking about?" he asked.

"Don't play coy," said Eva. She took off her hood and removed her mask. "I play these games, too. As well as Danny Fenton, who is currently outside in very rough shape. Considering we cannot take him to a hospital, you're our next best option."

"And why should I help Daniel?" asked Vlad.

"For several reasons, one of which being you have a hand in the mess we are all currently in," said Eva. "We will explain later, but right now Danny needs medical attention we cannot give him without a little help."

"And if I refuse to help?" Vlad asked with a smug look.

"You aid in the destruction of Amity Park, the entire world, and Maddie Fenton," said Eva.

Vlad's midnight blue eyes became hard. "Bring him in," he said.

Out in Jazz's car, they all heard what Eva said over the headphones.

"Wow!" said Tucker. "She really knows how to play someone."

"That's Eva for you," said Aelita.

* * *

><p>Once Danny was treated for his more serious injuries, Vlad was filled in on everything that had happened.<p>

"I see why you came to me," Vlad said. "This Duality Orb can probably only be used by someone with much experience in life."

"You mean yourself," said Sam, crossing her arms.

"Precisely," said Vlad. "Now, we just need to get the orb away from Dan Phantom. Then I can use it to defeat him."

"What makes you think you're the only one who can use it?" asked Tucker.

"Determination and ambition are powerful things," said Vlad. "I have both. I know a thing or two about love and hate. I've had my heart broken, had most of my dreams achieved, I think I can use the orb's power."

"We could find out if we had the orb," said Aelita. "It can't be used by someone who does not know duality."

"But who's to say if Vlad gets it, he won't turn against us and help Dan Phantom?" asked Jazz.

"Considering Dan Phantom has my ghost half as well, I would not help him because that would mean I would lose my powers," said Vlad, an edge to his voice.

"Now we just need the orb to find out," said Sam. She sighed. "How are we going to get it from Dan when he has the Victory Orb's power?"

Eva took something from her pocket and tossed it to Vlad. Vlad quickly caught it. It was the Duality Orb!

They all turned to Eva.

"How?" asked Tucker, flabbergasted.

"You've had it this whole time and you didn't tell us?" shrieked Sam.

"You sneaky thief!" Aelita said with a smile. She shook her head. "I should have known you had it."

"You believed I left without it?" asked Eva. "No. When your backs were turned and you were watching Danny and Dan, I slipped out of the Specter Speeder and went into the tower. I made it to the chamber where the Duality Orb was kept and got by the traps. I had the orb, but I couldn't go back the way I came because at that point Dan Phantom was coming up the stairs after beating Danny to a pulp. Instead of taking the stairs, I went out the window."

"From there you just climbed down the buttresses and got Danny," said Sam.

"That's brilliant," said Jazz.

"Let's see if this will work," said Vlad, holding the Duality Orb in his hands.

"Do you know how to use it?" asked Sam.

"I would guess a little ghost energy should trigger its power," said Vlad. His hands glowed pink for a moment and nothing happened. He frowned and tried again.

"Looks like you're not the one who can use it," said Tucker with a smirk.

Vlad glared at him.

Sam took the orb from Vlad. "Let's have Danny give it a try when he wakes up."

Aelita turned to Eva. "Maybe you should get some rest. You look like you're about to fall asleep on your feet."

"I'm fine," said Eva. "I just need a shot of coffee."

Aelita shook her head. "You haven't slept since we got here."

"If you don't want to sleep, you can keep an eye on Danny," said Jazz. "He's going to wake up and not know where he is. And if he needs something, you can get it for him. You seem to know what you're doing when it comes to first aid."

Eva got up and went back to where Danny was resting, taking the Duality Orb with her.

"Now she'll get some rest," said Jazz.

Aelita frowned. "How did you do that?"

"Simple manipulation trick," said Jazz. "I appealed to her wishes of wanting to stay awake and be useful and twisted in such a way that she will probably get some rest in the process. Danny could be asleep for a few hours yet and Eva's bound to fall asleep for a few minutes. And if not, she'll be conserving her energy."

"I wonder if Kayla knows that trick," said Aelita.

"Is she always so stubborn and sneaky?" asked Tucker.

Aelita nodded. "She's always been like that. She's always had it hard."

"We saw the scars," said Tucker. "What are they from?"

"Which ones?" asked Aelita.

"The ones on her left shoulder," said Sam. "It looked like someone turned her into a voodoo doll."

"Bone marrow transplant," replied Aelita. "She donated to a friend's father. They were desperate and Eva couldn't stand to see them suffer. She couldn't be put under anesthesia, so she did it without. Don't ask for all the details because you wouldn't believe the truth if I told you, and I would have to tell secrets that are not mine to tell. Eva is strong and she'll do anything to help someone she loves."

"She sounds like Danny," said Tucker.

* * *

><p>Eva thought it was far too warm in the bedroom where Danny was sleeping. She took off her sweatshirt and T-shirt and threw them over the back of the chair she was sitting in. Her feet were pulled up and her arms were resting on her knees. Eva bowed her head and nodded off for a few minutes.<p>

"What happened to you?"

Eva's eyes snapped open and she saw Danny sitting up in bed. He was staring at her with wide blue eyes, examining every scar that was visible to him.

Eva stood up. "Life," she answered. She moved to the edge of the bed and sat down. "How are you feeling?"

"I feel like I've been hit by a truck," said Danny. "Where am I?"

"Vlad Masters' mansion," answered Eva.

"What? What am I doing here?" cried Danny.

"Recovering," replied Eva. "Take it easy for a few moments. You may heal quickly, but Dan Phantom did a number on you."

"The Duality Orb!" cried Danny.

Eva took it from her pocket. "It's right here. I got to it before he did."

"How?" asked Danny.

"I have my ways," replied Eva.

Danny frowned at the answer. "Are you always so secretive?"

"I used to be worse from what my friends tell me," said Eva.

Danny reached out and ran his fingers over her left shoulder. He touched the scars from her bone marrow transplant and moved across to a prominent scar closer to her neck. Blue eyes looked up at Eva's hairline and saw even more scars.

"They're real," said Eva. "All of them."

Danny's expression hardened. "Who did this to you?" he demanded.

"My parents," replied Eva.

Danny's eyes widened in astonishment and his jaw dropped. "Your parents?" he asked in a small voice. "Why? Why would they hurt their own child?"

"My father was a drunkard," said Eva. "My mother was out of her mind." Eva's fingers ran over the prominent scar on her left shoulder. "She tried to take my head off with a meat cleaver."

"Why didn't you tell anyone?" asked Danny. "Why did you stay there?"

"I stayed for my sister's sake," said Eva. "Someone needed to protect her. Then she got sick and died. I blamed myself for not being able to give her my bone marrow because I was sick myself. It was two years later that I found out what really happened and I blame myself even more. I thought if I could give my bone marrow to someone who needed it, it would be my redemption and I could sleep better at night. It eased some of the pain, but I still feel awful."

"What really happened to your sister?" asked Danny.

"Our father," said Eva, her voice so low Danny had to strain to hear it, "beat her. He ruptured her spleen and she died. I wasn't there to protect her. I let her down. After the truth came out, my parents were arrested. One of the teachers at the school I attend adopted me. He's a bit clueless about some things, but I don't mind. I've been able to take care of myself since I was little. I took care of my sister, too."

"So everything turned out okay in the end?" asked Danny.

"I'm not sure it will ever be okay for me," said Eva. She cleared her throat. "Enough about me. Let's see if you can use the Duality Orb. Vlad already tried it, but it didn't work."

Danny took the Duality Orb in his hands and turned it over. Nothing happened. Eva suggested doing what Vlad did and try to activate it using ghost energy.

"Guess it's not you either," said Eva.

"So who could it be?" asked Danny.

"We'll have to keep looking," said Eva. "We don't have much time. Who do you think it could be?"

Danny shook his head. "I have no idea. If it's not Vlad or me, I don't know who else can use it."

"Perhaps we will have some idea in the morning," said Eva. "Try to get a little more sleep. I don't think Dan Phantom will be showing up anytime soon."

"How do you know?" asked Danny.

"I just do," answered Eva. "It's difficult to explain."

Danny smiled. "I know what you mean."

Eva frowned as Danny settled down and went back to sleep.

* * *

><p>Rude awakenings were something Eva was used to, but this one was worse than any she ever had. The entire mansion shook. Eva jumped up from her chair and looked around, her knife in her hand. Danny was up as well, already having transformed into Phantom.<p>

"What was that?" asked Eva.

"Dan Phantom," replied Danny before zooming out of the room.

Grabbing her clothes, Eva ran out of the room and searched for the others. She glanced out the window and saw a vampire-like ghost in a white suit and white and red cape outside with Danny. In the living room, the others were waking up and trying to figure out what was going on.

"Up, now!" yelled Eva. "He's here!"

They were alert now.

"Grab whatever ghost weapons you can carry," said Sam.

Eva grabbed an ecto gun and an ecto knife before rushing out the door to catch up with Danny and the other ghost. She looked up and saw Dan Phantom destroying the city.

* * *

><p>Tucker looked around the room as the others got their gear. "Where's Eva?" he asked.<p>

They looked around.

"She's gone already," said Aelita.

"She didn't take a Specter Deflector with her," said Jazz.

"Oh, no," said Sam.

"What's a Specter Deflector?" asked Aelita.

Tucker handed her a belt. "It keeps ghosts from touching you," he explained. "Dan can't overshadow you if he can't touch you."

"Let's hope that she doesn't need it," said Aelita, putting the belt on.

* * *

><p>Eva knew she was going to be little use in the fight against Dan Phantom. She would let the ghosts handle that. People needed to be evacuated. She needed to get into town as quick as she could. Eva looked around to see what she could do. There was a garage. A rich man like Vlad was sure to have some fast cars in there.<p>

Eva ran into the garage and looked around. There were some high end sports cars as well as a few nicer sedans. On one wall were cubby holes with sets of keys. Eva ran over and grabbed a set of keys. She pressed the button to unlock the doors. There was chirping coming from the garage door. Eva opened the garage door and jumped into the car. She started it up and peeled rubber out of the driveway.

The rest of Team Phantom was running out to Jazz's car when Eva drove out onto the road. They stared in surprise.

"Did she just steal a Ferrari?" asked Aelita.

* * *

><p>Eva gave it everything she got to get into town to help people. Once there, Eva began helping anyone she could find a safe place to hide. She tried to find Chris, Nico, Ben, and Sophie, but she wasn't sure where they were.<p>

Up in the sky, Danny and Plasmius were tag-teaming Dan Phantom. Dan Phantom was easily dodging attacks.

"How do you expect to win?" asked Dan with an evil grin.

In the distance they heard the engines of a jet sledge coming. Dan turned and saw the Red Huntress flying in to attack.

"Ah, Valerie," he said. "It's been a while." Dan Phantom put his hand up and took aim.

"No!" shouted Danny.

Valerie was shot out of the sky. She landed on a rooftop and did not move.

On the ground, Eva saw what happened and ran into the building. She raced up the stairs, her ecto gun in her hand.

* * *

><p>Jazz drove the others into town. They jumped out of the car and got their weapons ready. At the same time the Fenton RV was pulling up. Jack and Maddie jumped out with their weapons and charged into battle.<p>

"Wait!" screamed Sam when she saw them aiming at Danny and Plasmius.

"You kids get out of here!" shouted Jack.

"Dad, wait!" yelled Jazz. "We have to get everyone out of here."

"But the ghosts," started Maddie.

"Listen!" shouted Sam. "Phantom and the Wisconsin Ghost are enemies! Do you think they would be teaming up on another ghost for kicks? That ghost fighting them is the most powerful ghost ever. We have to evacuate first. Let Phantom and the Wisconsin Ghost handle things for now!"

Jack and Maddie looked at each other.

"Please, listen to them," said Aelita.

"All right," said Maddie.

* * *

><p>Eva reached the roof and ran outside to check on Valerie. She was still breathing. That was good, but how to get her out of harm's way? Just as Eva contemplated that thought, a beam of green shot over her shoulder. It missed, but it startled Eva. She whipped around and saw Dan Phantom staring at her. His attention quickly shifted to the Plasmius clones attacking him from all sides.<p>

Eva saw the jet sledge. It was almost like her overboard. Hopefully it steered like one, too. Eva dragged Valerie over to the jet sledge and climbed up on it. Eva carefully steered it from the rooftop and to the ground to Aelita and the others.

"Take her," said Eva, giving Valerie to Tucker and Sam. "I'm going to see what I can do."

Eva turned the jet sledge around and headed for the battle. She took out her ecto gun fired at Dan Phantom. It did little more than annoy him. Eva steadied the jet sledge and stared him down.

"You certainly are brave," said Dan. "Or stupid, I'm not sure which."

Danny attacked Dan Phantom. Dan swatted his past self away. Plasmius came at him next only to be thrown into the side of a building. Eva fired her gun at Dan and hit him in the face. Dan Phantom growled and rubbed at his injured cheek.

"Oh, you want to play rough?" he asked, red eyes darkening. "We'll play rough."

"Eva, get out of here!" yelled Danny.

It was too late. Before Eva could turn the jet sledge and fly away, Dan overshadowed her.

On the ground, Aelita let out a scream of horror, seeing what had happened.

Danny and Plasmius flew over to Eva, hovering several feet away. Eva looked up at them, her dark eyes red and her face sporting a sneer that was only seen on Dan Phantom.

"The little girl wanted to play," Dan Phantom said from inside Eva.

Dan flew off the jet sledge and punched Danny hard in the face, sending him slamming to the ground. He then turned to Plasmius. Plasmius began shooting ecto-blasts at Dan Phantom.

Danny picked himself off the ground and saw Plasmius attacking Dan while he was still inside Eva. "Vlad, no!" Danny soared up to put a stop to the fighting. If things continued the way they were going, Eva could be killed.

Dan Phantom knocked Plasmius out of the sky. He then shot at Danny, who took a direct hit in the stomach and went down again. Dan Phantom landed in the street and looked around. There was not enough destruction for his taste and he began shooting randomly at buildings and cars, still using Eva as a hostage.

Dan Phantom then turned to the Fenton RV. He spotted Jack and Maddie trying to help people. Smirking, Dan raised his hand, pointing it at Maddie.

"Good-bye, Mother," he said.

Plasmius looked up and saw Dan aiming at Maddie.

"Mads, look out!" bellowed Jack.

Plasmius jumped up and flew toward Maddie. At the same time, Dan fired an ecto-blast at her. Plasmius threw himself between the blast and Maddie. He fired an ecto-blast of his own at Dan. Plasmius took a direct hit from Dan Phantom's attack. The force sent him flying back, knocking Maddie to the ground, and Plasmius rolled several yards down the street. Plasmius' attack struck Eva's left shoulder.

The others either rushed to Maddie or to Plasmius to make sure they were both alive. Danny picked himself off the ground and flew over to his friends.

"How are we going to get them separated?" asked Sam. "We can't let Dan keep using Eva as a shield. We can't attack him until he's out of her."

Dan put up his hand again, pointing it at Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Aelita. "I think I should destroy you next."

Dan took aim, the blast forming on Eva's palm. Suddenly the green energy flickered out. Dan Phantom gasped and swayed slightly. "What?" he said. Dan Phantom let out a yell of pain and put both hands to his head. A green aura began to surround Eva's body.

"No," groaned Dan Phantom through gritted teeth. "It's not possible!"

"Get out," Eva's voice came through.

They stared in amazement at the sight.

"Is Eva overpowering Dan?" asked Tucker.

"How?" asked Sam.

"Come on, Eva!" screamed Aelita. "You can beat him!"

"GET OUT!" howled Eva.

Dan Phantom was sent flying out of Eva's body. He flew up into the air, a completely stunned look on his face. At the same time he also looked completely drained. He pointed his hand to a space in the sky and opened a portal to the Ghost Zone. He disappeared into it and the portal closed behind him.

The others stared at Eva. She looked up at them for a brief moment before hissing in pain and sinking to the ground. She clutched at her left shoulder where Plasmius shot her.

"Come on. Let's get out of here," said Tucker.

Danny scooped up Plasmius and flew off. Tucker, Sam, and Aelita got Eva and carried her away from the battlefield. Jazz stayed with her parents and helped get Maddie into the Fenton RV.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Why I Did It: The Comeback of Franz Hopper<span> — I never liked the fact that Franz Hopper was destroyed at the end of the _Code: LYOKO_ series. Instead of having a fit, I did something about it. I wrote in the possibility for him to come back. If you are a hardcore fan of my work in this series, you would have noticed something going on with Eva after she fell into the digital sea and was saved by Franz Hopper. In the second entry of my epilogue series, it is revealed that Franz Hopper was still alive and had downloaded himself into a safe place, that safe place being Eva's brain. At first I was just going to bring Hopper back, but then I thought I would bring Antea back as well. Let's have Aelita have her family back, shall we, people?**


	8. Forgiveness

**Crossover Choices Part 1**** — Originally the crossover epilogue was only supposed to be a trilogy and it was only a crossover with **_**Gargoyles**_**. I've loved **_**Gargoyles**_** since I was little and I thought it would be really cool to cross it with **_**Code: LYOKO**_**. I did that before with the Dimensional Warriors Trilogy, but this time I wanted everything to be on the same time line. I also wanted to do it this way because there aren't many stories I can find with an older Alex Xanatos. I wanted to cross the sci-fi of **_**Code: LYOKO**_** with the fantasy of Gargoyles.**

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><p>"How on earth did that happen?" asked Sam, looking at Eva.<p>

Tucker, Sam, and Aelita were at Fenton Works in Danny's room. Jazz was in her parents' room looking after Maddie. They weren't sure where Danny and Plasmius were.

Eva was lying on Danny's bed, Aelita sitting next to her.

"People have thrown Danny out before," said Tucker. "But this is Dan Phantom. He is so much stronger than Danny and with the Victory Orb, it should be impossible."

Eva stirred, her face scrunching in pain. She reached up and grabbed the front of her shirt, like her chest was in pain.

"Is she okay?" asked Sam.

Eva relaxed and started speaking French in her sleep.

"What's she saying?" asked Tucker.

"'I'm here, my sister,'" translated Aelita. "I think I know how she did it. Dan Phantom threatened me and Eva acted. She does that. Even when there is no need to act, she will. She nearly got herself killed trying to protect me even though she knew I would have been okay."

"Guys!"

They all jumped at Danny's voice. They whirled around to see him hovering in the room.

"We don't have much time," Danny said. "You have to follow me now."

"To where?" asked Tucker.

"The Ghost Zone," said Danny. "We can't have another fight in the real world. We have to make our last stand."

"What about Eva?" asked Aelita.

Danny looked at Eva. He gently scooped her up, minding her injured shoulder.

The five of them snuck down to the basement and boarded the Specter Speeder. Danny would lead them to wherever they were going.

"Hold on, Eva," said Aelita. "It's going to be okay."

"Here?" shrieked Sam. "Are you crazy, Danny?"

Aelita looked up and saw they were approaching a prison.

"Walker will jail us all," said Tucker.

"No, he won't," said Danny. "I already talked to him. We need to make a final stand soon. Everything will be explained once we get there."

They arrived at the prison and were cooly greeted by Walker and his men. Danny carried Eva inside and they went to Walker's office. All of Danny's enemies were there waiting. Sam and Tucker were tense and Aelita wasn't sure what to think.

"I know, it's a little weird," said Danny, turning to his friends. "But we need everyone's help on this."

"What about Plasmius?" asked Tucker.

"He is resting at the moment," said Walker. "He will heal quickly."

"What's with the girl?" asked Johnny 13, nodding in Eva's direction.

"Remember how I said that the person Dan Phantom overshadowed gave him the boot?" asked Danny. "This is her."

Spectra gave an evil smile. "Such angst," she commented, coming closer to Eva and Danny. Spectra reached out to feed on Eva's despair. Before she could touch her, Spectra let out a scream and jumped back. "What is she? Her dark emotions are so powerful! I can't feed off of them without getting hurt."

"Eva?" Aelita called gently.

Eva moaned and put her feet under her. She lifted herself from Danny's shoulders and looked around. Her dark eyes immediately began taking in her surroundings.

"What happened?" she asked. "Where are we?"

"The Ghost Zone prison," answered Danny.

Eva's eyes immediately widened.

"Calm down," said Aelita. "You're not under arrest."

"We need everyone's help to take down Dan Phantom," said Tucker. "Apparently we are getting help from our enemies."

Eva nodded, still looking leery.

"We need a plan," said Danny. "I think my future self can't control Eva for some reason. When she kicked him out, he looked like he was weakened."

"That's good," said Skulker. "All we have to do is keep weakening him until we can capture him."

"No," said Eva. They all turned to her. "Remember what the Observants said? He must be destroyed."

Danny remembered Clockwork saying the same thing. "Eva, I don't know if I can destroy him. He's part of me. I can't take a life."

Eva said nothing to this. She turned her eyes away and grew distance, thinking of what could be done.

"What all do we have to work with?" asked Aelita.

"You name it, we probably have it," said Tucker.

There was a beeping noise. Everyone was startled by it. It was coming from Aelita's pocket. Aelita pulled out her mobile.

"I thought this wouldn't work in the Ghost Zone," said Aelita.

"That would be my doing," said Technus. "Technology becomes more powerful when I'm around."

"Aren't you going to answer it?" asked Spectra.

Aelita answered her mobile. "Hello? Jeremy? Speak up, I can barely hear you."

Technus reached over and shocked the mobile. "That should be better."

"Thank you," Aelita said to him. "Jeremy, we're in big trouble. Hold on a second. I'm putting you on speaker." Aelita pushed the button on her mobile to allow everyone to hear.

"We're all here," said Jeremy.

"Did something happen to Eva again?" asked Kayla. "Bon Ami has done nothing but howl from almost an hour."

"I'm all right, Kayla," said Eva.

"So what's happening?" asked Ulrich.

"Let's just say that fighting XANA was nothing compared to what we're up against," said Aelita.

They did their best to filled the other LYOKO warriors in.

"I don't know if we can get the supercomputer to work and get there in our specter forms," said Jeremy. "I think you may be on your own on this one."

"Please, stay safe," said Kayla.

"Send pictures if you can!" added in Odd.

There was a slap and a yelp from Odd. "Dummy," grumbled Yumi.

"We'll figure something out," said Eva.

"We'll see you when you come home," said William.

Aelita hung up.

"Let's get to work," said Eva.

* * *

><p>The plan was to fight Dan Phantom in the Ghost Zone to avoid destroying Amity Park. They were going to try to subdue him first before doing anything else. They had to pick the battlefield and keep the odds in their favor.<p>

Eva, weakened from her struggle with Dan Phantom, was sent to the prison's infirmary. She took the cot next to Plasmius. He was asleep. Eva closed her eyes, her hand gripping her locket under her shirt. In a minute she was asleep.

A little ghost girl appeared in the infirmary. She had dark hair that came to her shoulders and was wearing a T-shirt with a zoo logo and jeans. She looked at Eva and then at Plasmius. She went to Eva's bedside and allowed her hand to hover over Eva's injured shoulder. A small pulse of light emitted from the ghost girl's hand. Eva winced in her sleep.

The little ghost girl began to sing softly. "The sun has set. The moon has risen. The day is done, or is it the beginning? Night is the gateway to the land of dreams. The place where everything is what you want it to be."

Eva relaxed and the little ghost girl smiled.

"How long have you been there?"

The little girl turned to Plasmius. Plasmius was sitting up in bed watching the girl. The little girl smiled.

"Not long," she replied with a heavy French accent. She came over to Plasmius. "Would you like me to heal those for you?" she asked, pointing the scrapes on his arms and face. "You'll need all of your strength to fight Dan Phantom."

"So you know what's going on," said Plasmius.

"I'm young, not stupid," said the little girl. She sat beside Plasmius and the same pulse of light came from her hand. His wounds began healing rapidly.

"I've never seen a ghost with brown eyes before," said Plasmius.

"They do turn green now and then," said the little girl. "I guess it only happens when I use a lot of my powers." She took her hand away. "That should do it. See you later!" The little girl disappeared.

Plasmius looked from where the girl was sitting to Eva. Eva seemed in good shape after everything that happened to her. The little ghost girl must have healed her first. Plasmius frowned. Eva and the ghost girl looked very much alike. Plasmius shrugged it off. He didn't have time to worry about it now.

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><p>Dan Phantom wasn't sure what happened to him when he overshadowed that girl. When he turned to destroy his past self's friend, the consciousness of the girl took over, fighting him off. It should not have been possible. Dan Phanton possessed the Victory Orb's power. A human girl should not have been able to push him out like she did. What power could she possess?<p>

The thought struck Dan Phantom like a lightning bolt. She had the Duality Orb! That was the only explanation he could come up with. The orb was stolen out from under his nose. If it was her, she would have had plenty of time to take it while Dan was fighting his past self. But why did she not attack him when she had the chance? After he released her, why did she not turn and fight?

Dan rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Perhaps she does not possess the necessary power to do so," he thought out loud. "Either that or the Duality Orb did not activate and it only cancelled out the Victory Orb's power. No matter what way you look at it, that girl is trouble. I'll have to destroy her first. Once I do, the Duality Orb is mine!"

Dan Phantom laughed maniacally and flew off in the direction of the ghost prison. "With the power of the Victory Orb, all I need is a mental image of whatever I want to track and it will lead me straight to it. Right now what I want is that girl!"

* * *

><p>Danny's ghost sense went off. He jumped up for battle. The ceiling exploded and Dan Phantom hovered above the opening.<p>

"Where is she?" Dan asked. "Where is the girl?"

"He wants Eva?" asked Tucker. "Why?"

"I want her dead, Tucker," said Dan Phantom. "And I want the Duality Orb. I cannot believe I let it slip out of my fingers."

"I'm not telling you where she is," growled Danny.

"Fine," said Dan. He put his hand out.

"Run!" shouted Danny.

Everyone scattered as a blast ripped through the room.

Skulker fired his weapons at Dan. Dan simply shrugged them off.

"What's going on in here?" demanded Plasmius, running into the room. He saw Dan Phantom and went on the offensive.

Dan Phantom batted them away like flies. "Surely there is a way to persuade you to tell me where she is." Dan looked down. He spotted Aelita. "Aha!"

Aelita screamed as Dan grabbed her. Dan got shocked from her Specter Deflector and he quickly ripped it off.

"If you do not give me the girl with the Duality Orb, I will simply force her to come to me," said Dan Phantom. He pointed his hand to the sky. "Danny, I'll be waiting for you where this all started." Dan Phantom laughed as he and Aelita disappeared through a portal.

"Oh, no," said Sam.

"What is going on in here?" Eva was a little unsteady on her feet. She was standing in the doorway. Her dark eyes surveyed the damaged. "Where's Aelita?"

"He took her," said Tucker.

"Dan Phantom?" asked Eva. A look of horror passed over her face before it was replaced with rage. "He is not getting away with this. Do you know where he went?"

"I do," said Danny. "The Nasty Burger."

"Where it began and where it will end," swore Eva.

"You're staying put," said Danny.

"What?" asked Eva. "Oh, no. He has my sister. I will not allow him to take someone I love away from me."

"We better get going," said Sam. "It'll take us awhile to get back to the Fenton Portal."

"Amiko!" Wulf appeared in the room.

"Or not," said Tucker with a grin.

"Come on," said Danny. "Tucker, tell Wulf to open a portal to the Nasty Burger in Amity Park. We need to get there."

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Daniel?" asked Plasmius.

"It's the best we have," said Danny. "This has to end."

Tucker translated to Wulf what Danny wanted done. Wulf nodded and ripped open a portal with his claws. Team Phantom and the rest of the ghosts went through the portal. Wulf was about to follow them when Eva grabbed his paw.

"Not without me," she said in a low voice.

Wulf did not need to understand English to know what she wanted. He looked at the portal and back at Eva.

* * *

><p>In the real world, Dan was waiting on the Nasty Burger roof. Tied to the vat of Nasty Burger sauce was Aelita. She struggled against her bonds.<p>

"Why are you doing this?" she cried to Dan Phantom.

Dan Phantom looked down at her. "Why? Because it's fun."

Aelita shrank back and continued to struggle.

Danny and the others came through the portal.

"That was quick," said Dan Phantom. "Where is the girl?"

"Not here," said Danny. "We're finishing this right now."

Dan Phantom gave an exasperated sigh. "Fine. You want to be beat to a pulp, I can do that."

"Let's go!" shouted Danny, flying at Dan Phantom, the other ghosts behind him.

Everyone joined in, ghosts and humans attacking Dan Phantom with everything they had. Wulf and Eva appeared. Eva looked around and saw Aelita. She raced over to her friend and cut her loose.

"Are you okay?" Eva asked.

"I'm fine," said Aelita.

Eva looked up at the battle in the sky. She growled and took off her sweatshirt and T-shirt, throwing them on the ground. A burning desire to inflict as much pain as possible on someone who hurt her sister reflected in her eyes.

"What are you doing?" asked Aelita.

Eva reached into her pocket. She pulled out the Duality Orb. "You cannot tell me one of these ghosts cannot use this. Someone has to know duality and know how to activate the orb." She looked around, searching for Danny. "It has to be Danny. He understands duality."

"Then why didn't it activate earlier?" asked Aelita.

"Because it wasn't the time," said Eva. "I have to get this to him." She dashed off to find a way to get up on the roof of the Nasty Burger. She had to flag Danny down.

Danny was sent flying away while Skulker took his place.

"Danny!" shouted Eva, waving him down.

Danny turned to Eva. He saw the Duality Orb in her hand. At the same time Dan saw it as well.

"The Duality Orb," he said. Dan Phantom turned to his opponents and let out a ghost wail, blowing everyone back and injuring them greatly.

Eva knocked off the roof by the force of the blast, not taking a direct hit. The Duality Orb rolled from her hand. There was a stinging pain at her neck. Eva reached up and found that her locket was gone. She looked around for both items.

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><p>Plasmius was picking himself off the ground. He saw a locket laying open before him. Inside was a picture of the little ghost girl standing next to a younger Eva, an elephant behind them.<p>

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><p>Eva tried to get up. Her right shoulder protested greatly. Eva let out a yell of pain and frustration at the dislocated joint. Her legs hurt as well. Eva looked over and saw the Duality Orb. She used her good arm to crawl over to it.<p>

Dan Phantom was looking at the destruction he created. "Now, where did you go?" he said, searching for Eva.

Eva continued to crawl for the white orb. It was just out of her reach. She lay down, unable to continue any farther. Eva put her face to the ground, beginning to cry. She had failed.

"Eva-phant," said a voice. "Don't cry."

Eva looked up and found herself looking into the brown eyes of a little ghost girl. Her jaw dropped.

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><p>Plasmius picked up the locket. "They are sisters," he said.<p>

* * *

><p>"Macaroon," whispered Eva.<p>

"It makes me sad to see you cry," said Mackenzie Maverick.

"I'm so sorry," Eva cried. "I'm so sorry. I couldn't protect you. I let you down."

"There you are!" shouted Dan Phantom, seeing Eva and Mackenzie.

"No, you don't!" yelled Danny, getting to his feet and firing an ecto-blast.

Plasmius pocketed the locket and joined the battle. Danny and Plasmius attacked Dan Phantom.

"Mackenzie, I'm sorry," Eva said.

"Eva, it's okay," said Mackenzie. She helped her sister to her feet. "I forgive you."

Eva started. "You do?" she asked.

Mackenzie nodded. "I forgive you. And I know what you did. My death left a hole in your heart, even when you learned the truth. You tried to fill it by donating your bone marrow to another, hoping it would stop the pain. Did it help?"

"No," answered Eva. "I still feel empty."

"Do you know what you need to fill it?" asked Mackenzie.

Fresh tears sprang from Eva's eyes. "I don't," she sobbed.

"Eva, there is only one person with the will strong enough to defeat Dan Phantom with the Duality Orb," said Mackenzie.

"I was trying to get it to Danny," said Eva. "Can you help me get it to him?"

Mackenzie picked up the Duality Orb and handed it to her sister. "Eva, the answer to your pain, the way to fill the hole in your heart, is forgiveness."

"What?" Eva asked almost inaudibly.

"I forgive you, Eva-phant," said Mackenzie. "Do you forgive yourself?"

Danny yelled as he went flying through the air and slammed into the road. Plasmius soon joined him. Dan Phantom whipped around to Eva.

Eva looked into her sister's brown eyes. "Yes. I forgive myself."

"Now to annihilate you!" roared Dan Phantom.

The sisters turned to see Dan Phantom poised for attack. Acting on years of conditioning, Eva jumped in front of her sister to protect her.

There were screams and yells of warning from the ghosts and humans.

The Duality Orb began to glow brightly in Eva's hand. "Wha?" Eva said. That was all the time she had to say before white light engulfed her.

* * *

><p><strong><span>Crossover Choices Part 2<span> — I decided as I was ending the third epilogue entry that I was going to separate Eva and Kayla. Choosing _Batman: The Brave and the Bold_ was an obscure choice even for me. Again I wanted to cross sci-fi and fantasy and chose to partner Jason Blood and some vampires in the story. I wrote this story with Kayla, William, Yumi, and Ulrich because I wanted to finish out the epilogue with Eva and a big bang.**


	9. Phantasm Enters the Fray

**Crossover Choices Part 3**** — The final part of the epilogue was actually thought up before I completed A Light Against the Fear. I wanted to do something with **_**Danny Phantom**_**. This was mostly because Eva lost a loved one. Originally Eva and Danny were supposed to go up against Freakshow, but then I decided to bring in Clockwork. And what would a story featuring Clockwork be without Danny's ultimate enemy, Dan Phantom? Continue reading the story to see how it all ends.**

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><p><strong>Sometimes forgiveness is a hard pill to swallow<strong>

**If we do not, in darkness, we will wallow**

**It is necessary to move on with our lives**

**It is necessary to both you and I**

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><p>Eva could not look at the light. She closed her eyes. A cold feeling came over her mixed with an all too familiar sensation.<p>

Onlookers watched a figure form in the light. The light subsided revealing someone in a dark blue and black jumpsuit with black shoes, black knee and elbow pads, black belt, black forearm armor, black diamond shaped metal knuckles, and black skull shaped shoulder armor. Around the chest was a black band and in the center was a silver medallion with a Moline cross with a red gem in the center. The hair was black, the forelocks dark blue. The face was deathly white, the eyes, lips, and cheeks painted with black. The eyes were white, empty, and haunting.

"It's her," said Sam. "Eva's the one."

"Oh, cheese logs," muttered Plasmius.

Danny, hearing his archenemy, turned to him. "What? We found the one who can use the Duality Orb."

"Yes, but Eva's human," said Plasmius. "She doesn't know how to use ghost powers."

"I don't think so," said Aelita with a small laugh.

Dan Phantom stared at Eva in shock before busting out laughing. "You? Of all the ghosts, it's a human? This is too easy! You don't know what you've gotten yourself into!"

"Eva, the strength of the Duality Orb's power relies on the willpower of the user," said Mackenzie. "If you can think it, you can do it."

Eva nodded. "Get back, little sister," she said.

Aelita shouted in French, "Just like LYOKO!"

Eva's black lips turned up in a smirk. "Yes, just like LYOKO."

Eva was nothing but a dark blue and black blur as she leaped into the air to attack Dan Phantom. She twisted midair and struck him in the shoulder with the heel of her boot. Dan let out a cry of pain, not expecting the blow to carry the amount of force it did. Eva dropped to a rooftop before jumping in the air again and slamming her foot into his side. Dan Phantom went flying from the force. Eva used the buildings to keep moving, jumping off the sides of them and using window ledges to keep herself in the air.

"How is she doing that?" asked Plasmius in surprise.

Danny looked at Aelita. The pink haired girl had a look of hope on her face. "She's done this before," said Danny.

Aelita turned to him and nodded. "Yes, more than once."

"Wretch!" shouted Dan Phantom, firing an ecto-blast at Eva.

Eva turned to smoke to avoid it and reformed. She jumped into the air again.

Dan Phantom sidestepped her attack. Eva landed on another rooftop, turning and jumping into the air. She fired a power pulse that hit Dan, but when she went to strike him again he moved out of the way.

"You may have the power, but you don't know how to use it," said Dan Phantom.

"Dan's getting the upper hand," said Sam.

"Eva can't fly," said Aelita. "She couldn't fly without her overboard on LYOKO. She has the abilities of our friends, but I was the only one who could fly."

Eva turned invisible to dodge Dan Phantom's attack. She gritted her teeth. She could use the terrain, but she could not risk innocent lives. Eva looked to the park. There weren't any buildings there, so damage would be minimal. But how to get Dan Phantom there? Eva had an idea.

"Where did you go?" snarled Dan Phantom.

Eva briefly became visible just as she jumped into the air. Her body began to turn white.

"Let's see how you like being possessed!" she snapped and disappeared into Dan Phantom's body.

"She actually did it!" Aelita said in shock.

Dan Phantom turned and flew off in the direction of the park.

"Smart girl," said Plasmius. "Getting him away from the city so they can have a proper fight."

Danny got up and began flying after Eva and his future self. "Come on, Plasmius!" he called over his shoulder.

Plasmius picked himself up and followed Danny.

Sam grabbed Tucker's arm. "Let's follow them," she said.

"Why?" asked Tucker. "What can we do to help them?"

"We can be there for them," said Sam.

Tucker followed Sam as she dashed off in the direction of the park.

* * *

><p>When they reached the park, Eva separated herself from Dan. Dan flopped on the ground. If he would have been a LYOKO monster, he would have been destroyed the moment Eva left him. He was not, but Eva's possession still left him weakened.<p>

Eva kicked his hands out from under him, causing Dan Phantom to do a face plant in the dirt. Dan looked up, his eyes blazing red and he fired ecto-blasts from his eyes. Eva cartwheeled out of the way. Dan Phantom got up and duplicated himself. He circled Eva. Eva glanced around before flipping backwards, planting one hand on the ground, and spinning around, firing her power pulse attacks at the duplicates' legs. The duplicates fell to their knees. Eva turned and went around the circle of duplicates, kicking them each in the face with enough force to make them disappear. When she came to the real Dan Phantom he grabbed her leg.

"I grow tired of this," he growled, giving Eva's leg a twist.

Eva grunted and flipped herself in the direction of the way he was twisting her leg. Dan released her.

Eva brought her other leg up and cracked him in the face again. Dan's head snapped back. Eva then fired a power pulse directly at his chest. Dan Phantom had the wind knocked out of him and he staggered back.

Dan looked up at her, snarling. He put his hand out to her. Eva couldn't move! This was just like her dream!

Dan Phantom smiled. "Good. That'll keep you docile while I destroy everything."

A green ecto-blast struck Dan Phantom, distracting him. Eva was released from whatever was freezing her movements. She jumped up and slammed her knee in his face. Dan Phantom swatted at her and knocked Eva back. She left a trench in the ground where she landed.

Dan Phantom turned his attention to Danny, who was hovering above them.

"Come and get me!" challenged Danny.

Dan Phantom flew after his past self.

Eva picked herself up and shook her head.

"Are you all right?" asked Plasmius, kneeling beside her.

"Yeah," said Eva, putting her hand to her head. "I've had worse."

"I find that hard to believe," said Plasmius, turning to the Phantoms. "I have to help Daniel. We'll bring him back to the ground so you can finish him off."

Plasmius took to the sky.

Eva growled. She hated being grounded, especially since her opponent could fly. She had all this power and she couldn't reach him. Eva let out a small gasp. She had her invisibility, her possession, Ulrich's speed, Kayla's strength, William's super smoke; why couldn't she use another's technique?

Eva got to her feet. She put her hand out beside her and concentrated. A few seconds later her overboard materialized next to her. Eva smirked. She jumped on and opened the throttle.

Danny used his ghostly wail to weaken Dan some more. It wasn't as powerful as Dan's, but it did some damage.

Eva flew up behind Dan and possessed him again. She drove him to the ground before leaping out of him. Eva whipped around and put her hand out. A black aura formed around Dan Phantom and transferred to Eva's outstretched hand.

"No!" Dan Phantom yelled.

The power of the Victory Orb left Dan Phantom and reformed in its ball in Eva's hand.

"It's over," said Eva.

"Not until I'm destroyed," said Dan Phantom. "Aren't you going to finish me off?"

"That's not my job," said Eva.

"Oh?" asked Dan. "Then whose job is it?"

Danny approached Eva and Dan. "It's mine," he said somberly.

"You couldn't," said Dan Phantom. "You're not a killer."

Danny put his hand out, charging it with the most power ecto-blast he could muster.

"There is another way."

Danny glanced at Eva. "What do you mean there's another way? There is no other way! Clockwork said he has to be destroyed."

"Danny, what created him?" asked Eva.

"I did," said Danny. "My friends died in an accident and I couldn't cope with the pain. I blamed myself. It was my fault; I cheated on the C.A.T. exams the first time."

"You know what I just learned, before I could use the Duality Orb?" asked Eva. "Forgiveness. The reason why Dan Phantom was created was because you didn't forgive yourself."

"I couldn't," said Danny.

"You can," said Eva. "I did, and you are stronger than I am, Danny Phantom, far stronger than I could ever hope to be. If I can do it, you can do it. Don't let him win. Don't let that monster inside take over. Don't make the same mistakes I've made."

"How would you know?" asked Danny. "How can you possibly understand what I feel? Look around! All of this is my fault, because I created this. How could you know how I feel?"

"Because I lived it," answered Eva. "I've lived it for years. It was only now that I've been able to forgive myself."

"All of this is touching," said Dan Phantom. "But a little 'I'm sorry' isn't going to change anything."

Dan Phantom put his hand up to attack Eva. He charged his ecto-blast to kill Eva. Suddenly the energy fizzled out. Dan Phantom was disappearing.

"What? No!" He looked at Danny. Danny had his eyes closed, focusing on something. "Danny, you can't! I'm you! What's going to happen to you when I'm gone?"

Danny opened his eyes. "I'll be able to live free from you."

"No!" Dan Phantom disappeared.

Eva returned to her human form, the Duality Orb forming in her other hand. She turned to Danny and Danny turned to her. The Spirit Orbs fell to the ground as Eva threw her arms around Danny and hugged him. Danny hugged her back, mostly because it was taking everything to stay on his feet and not transform back into Fenton.

It was finally over.

"You did it," Eva wept softly into Danny's shoulder. "I knew you could."

"Thank you," said Danny.

Plasmius landed beside them. "How touching."

Danny and Eva glared at him.

Plasmius took something from his pocket. "I believe this belongs to you," he said to Eva, handing her locket back.

"Thank you," said Eva, putting the locket around her neck.

"Danny!" shouted Tucker and Sam.

Danny turned to see his friends running toward him. "Sam! Tucker! You're okay!"

"Eva!" yelled Aelita and someone else. Running beside Aelita was a boy with sandy brown hair wearing a red button-down T-shirt over a gray long sleeved shirt and jeans.

Nicolas Poliakoff hugged his girlfriend. "I told you I would come," he said. "I had to tear a few pages from the Eva Maverick Play Book, but it was worth it."

"I found him right after you possessed Dan Phantom and brought him here," said Aelita.

"More like I found her," said Nicolas. "Did you know that Jeremy hacked the town's security cameras? They have the whole thing on tape!"

"What?" asked Danny.

"Oh, no," said Tucker. "No one outside of town needs to see what happened."

Aelita giggled. "They won't," she said. "Knowing Jeremy, he probably recorded what happened in town and created a fake tape for everyone else to see."

"What would we do without him?" asked Eva.

Eva felt a tug at her shirt. She turned and saw Mackenzie.

"I knew you could do it, Eva-phant," said Mackenzie.

"Thanks, Macaroon," said Eva.

Danny picked up the Spirit Orbs. "I'll take these back to Clockwork the first chance I get," he said.

"Tell him thank you for me," said Eva.

"Not to break up this little victory party," said Sam, "but shouldn't we get out of here before we're caught by the GiW or something?"

"We better find Chris and the others," said Aelita.

"Yeah, there's a headache I do not need," said Eva.

Danny looked at them. "Come on. I think there is someplace we can go until we're ready to go home."


	10. In the End

**Special Thank You's To . . .**** — First, I would like to say thank you to every reader, even if they only read one chapter of one story. This story would probably be nothing without you. Second, I would like to thank my best friend, "Magicfire", for helping me come up with Kayla's character and AlleyKatWolf, who I know has been keeping up with every entry in the series. Thank you, Spyrofan777, for reading and reviewing every chance you got. It is an honor to have my stories on your favorites page and I have saved everyone of your reviews. Also thank you everyone who reviewed, favorited, and alerted. This is my biggest project to date and I don't think there will be another quite like it anytime soon, if ever. Please enjoy the last chapters.**

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><p><strong>At the end of this chapter, please read the last few paragraphs carefully. You'll be getting a bit a closure.<strong>

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><p>Danny, Tucker, Sam, Eva, Aelita, Nicolas, and Mackenzie went to the Amity Park Zoo. By now dusk was settling on the town. No one was there since there was a major ghost attack. The animals were a bit shy, but they slowly came out of their hiding places when they knew there was no danger now.<p>

"We should say hi to Delilah since we're here," Sam said to Tucker and Danny.

"Yeah," said Danny. He looked at the French friends. "I'll introduce you."

While Aelita and Nicolas kept pace with Team Phantom, Eva and Mackenzie hung back just a little bit.

"I remember when we went to the zoo," said Mackenzie. "That was the happiest day of my life." She became quiet for a moment. "Actually, I have a new happiest day."

"And what would that be?" asked Eva.

"Today," replied Mackenzie.

"Today?" asked Eva. "Why today?"

"Because I got to see my sister and tell her I forgive her," said Mackenzie. She tilted her head to the side. "I thought you would have known that without me having to come back and tell you."

Eva looked away from her sister.

Mackenzie took Eva's hand in hers. Eva turned her attention back to Mackenzie, a few tears in her eyes.

"No, you shouldn't have needed to come back and tell me," Eva said. "Macaroon, I'm so sorry."

"Eva, enough," said Mackenzie. "You didn't know that he was going to hit me. You had to leave the room or you wouldn't have known that your bone marrow could hurt me instead of help."

"I shouldn't have gotten sick," Eva said. "I should have been more careful when you were starting to get worse."

"I needed to eat," said Mackenzie. "If going around the streets to pick up some extra money was what you had to do, then that's okay. I know that you're a pickpocket. I've always known."

Eva narrowed her eyes. "You weren't supposed to."

Mackenzie laughed. "You used to entertain me with stories and with magic tricks," she said. "I knew you had quick hands."

They caught up with the rest of the group who were looking at a rare gorilla.

"Is there something in particular you would like to see, Mackenzie?" asked Danny.

Mackenzie nodded. She took Eva's hand and started pulling her down the path.

They reached the elephants. Mackenzie swooped into the enclosure and roused one. It trumpeted and followed Mackenzie into the pen where everyone could see it.

"Here, Eva," said Mackenzie. "Do you want to ride her?"

"Ride?" asked Sam. "Are you crazy?"

Danny laughed and shifted into Phantom. He overshadowed the elephant.

"Hop up," said Mackenzie, taking her sister's arm and helping her onto the back of the possessed elephant.

"I want to get a picture of this," said Tucker.

"Me, too," said Aelita.

They all took out their mobiles and PDA and took pictures of Eva and Mackenzie on top of the elephant.

Danny took them for a ride around the pen before dropping them off. By now the other elephants had woken up and were coming into the pen.

It was well past dark when they decided it was time to go home. They were heading for the exit when Danny's ghost sense went off and Eva whipped around, sensing someone nearby.

"It's okay," said Mackenzie. "I know who it is."

"Who?" asked Sam.

"Me."

They turned and saw a tall ghost the color of the night sky with red eyes.

"Nocturn!" cried Danny, going ghost.

"It's okay!" Mackenzie shouted. "I asked him here."

Everyone turned to her.

"You asked him here?" repeated Tucker.

Mackenzie nodded. "Nocturn wanted to correct his misdeed."

"I don't follow," said Danny.

"Of course you wouldn't," snapped Nocturn. "You're not the one I owe. Though if you're nice, I might be nice back."

"Then who?" asked Sam.

Nocturn turned to Eva. "Her."

"Me?" asked Eva.

"Normally I do not like giving people nightmares," said Nocturn. "I gain no pleasure from them. The dream energy is vile and has nothing to give me. But I was asked to do so, but now I want to make it up to you, girl. Especially after saving the world."

"I helped," said Danny.

Nocturn glared at Danny briefly before turning back to Eva. "You look tired," he said.

"I haven't exactly slept in three days," said Eva.

Nocturn's eyes widened. "Three days? We will have to fix that."

"Let's get her back to her hotel before you put her under, Nocturn," said Mackenzie.

"All right," said Nocturn.

"Bye, guys," said Mackenzie, waving to Team Phantom.

They all went home or to their hotel.

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><p>Back at the hotel, after Chris gave Eva and Aelita a chewing out and Nicolas a place to sleep, they were in the girls' room waiting for Nocturn to come. Mackenzie was saying good-bye to Nicolas before he went to sleep in the Subdigitals' room.<p>

Nicolas left and Nocturn came in.

"Well, are you ready?" the ghost of dreams asked Mackenzie.

"Almost," said Mackenzie.

The ghost girl gave Aelita a hug. "Thank you for looking after Eva."

"No problem," said Aelita. "It was Kayla who did most of the work over the years."

Mackenzie smiled. "I know," she said. "I've been keeping an eye on things."

She moved over to her sister.

"I know you can't stay," said Eva. "You don't belong here."

Mackenzie smiled sadly. "I know," she said. "I made a deal with a certain ghost. I may not be able to visit you in the real world, but I will be able to keep an eye on you from the Ghost Zone."

"And how are you going to do that?" asked Eva.

"It's a secret," smiled Mackenzie.

"I'm sorry for what happened," said Eva again.

"I already forgave you," said Mackenzie. "Besides, I'm happy you have a loving family now."

Eva gave Mackenzie a hug.

"I love you, Eva-phant," said Mackenzie.

"I love you, too, Macaroon," said Eva.

"All right," said Nocturn.

Mackenzie and Eva broke away and they looked at Nocturn, Mackenzie nodding her head and Eva looking confused.

Nocturn pulled the covers of Eva's bed down. "Into bed with you," he said. Nocturn turned to Aelita. "You, too. I might as well since I'm here."

Eva climbed into bed and Nocturn pulled the covers up. Mackenzie lay beside her sister, her head on her shoulder. She began to sing softly.

"The sun has set. The moon has risen. The day is done, or is it the beginning? Night is the gateway to the land of dreams. The place where everything is what you want it to be."

Eva quietly joined in.

"Sleep, dear child, close your eyes. Sail through the midnight starry skies. Dash through those meadows so green. Drink from the cold streams clean. Climb great mountains, swim oceans deep. You may do it all when you're asleep."

Nocturn put his hand out and let it hover over Eva's face. A soft blue light emitted from his hand and Eva's eyes began to close. "Sleep," he said soothingly. Eva's eyes closed completely and she was asleep.

Nocturn turned to Aelita and found that she was already out like a light. He chuckled before placing a hand on the girl's pink hair and giving her a peaceful dream, one without men in black suits and sunglasses and nothing with wolves.

"Time to go," said Nocturn to Mackenzie.

Mackenzie slowly pushed herself onto her elbows. She looked at her sleeping sister. "I'll be watching you, Eva-phant." She kissed her sister on the cheek, knowing that Nocturn's narcotics would keep her asleep.

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><p>Meanwhile, once Danny mustered enough strength to make the journey, he flew to Clockwork's lair. He was expecting Clockwork to be watching the screens in his observation room, but he was not.<p>

"You can't tell me he's not back yet," Danny said to himself. "This whole mess is over, right?"

"It is."

Danny yelled and jumped into the air. He whirled around to see Clockwork with a smirk on his face.

"Was that necessary?" asked Danny.

"No, but it was amusing," said Clockwork.

Danny took out the Spirit Orbs. "I think these will be safer with you than with me," he said.

Clockwork took the Spirit Orbs and went into another room, Danny following him. Clockwork placed the Spirit Orbs on the shelf where Dan Phantom's thermos once was.

"I think you owe me an explanation," said Danny.

Clockwork shifted into his elderly man form. "Yes, I do," he said. "I knew this would happen and I knew other ways that this could have been played out, but this scenario was the best option. Daniel, Dan Phantom needed to be erased from time."

"But you said he had to be destroyed," cut in Danny.

"I know," said Clockwork. "I told you that on purpose. This all began out of your grief of losing your family and your friends and not being able to conquer that grief. When you first fought Dan Phantom and learned what happened, you began to fear. You did not wish to lose your family and friends and you did not wish to turn into Dan Phantom."

Danny frowned. "This was all to teach me how to forgive myself?" Clockwork nodded. "But what about Eva? Where did she fall into all this?"

"Eva knew your pain, the pain you would have experienced in the Nasty Burger explosion," said Clockwork. "There was the possibility that you could have done this without her, but lives would have been lost. I planned all of this, from coercing Nocturn into giving Eva a nightmare about Dan Phantom before she reached Amity Park to disappearing on the Observants. If I had stayed, the Observants would have forced my hand and I would have had to reveal the identity of the wielder of the Duality Orb. Everything would have fallen apart if that happened. Eva's identity had to be kept a secret."

"Wait," said Danny. "What about Mackenzie? She knew. Didn't she?"

Clockwork shifted into his infant form. "I never said a word about Eva being the Duality Orb's wielder to Mackenzie. She always knew her sister was destined for greatness. My plan would not have worked if it weren't for Mackenzie Maverick."

They went back into the observation room. Danny looked over at one of the screens and saw a man and a woman at their wedding. The man was tall and had sandy brown hair that was cut short. He had a bit of a dopey smile on his face. The woman, the bride, had brown hair that fell down her back. She had an amazing body, like that of an athlete. There was a scar on her left shoulder so faded it was almost unnoticeable.

The bridesmaids wore dresses of various styles and colors, everything from a red kimono on an Asian woman, to a fun pink dress on a pink haired woman, to a beautiful gold on a beautiful blonde. The groomsmen all had their own styles as well from a geeky looking blonde with black framed glasses, to two suave-looking men, one having raven hair and the other a brunette, to the blonde who looked like he was in a punk band.

Sitting in the front pew was an older gentleman in a suit. He looked a bit overweight, his brown hair beginning to turn gray. Beside him sat a woman with gray hair and glasses. They were many other people there and all were smiling and some of them were weeping with joy.

Danny smiled. "Cute couple. I hope their marriage lasts," he said.

Clockwork, shifting into his adult form, looked at the screen Danny was watching. In a corner of the church, where Danny failed to look, but Clockwork did not, was a little girl in jeans and a T-shirt with a zoo logo on the front. She was watching the ceremony with a grin plaster on her face.

"I can guarantee you, Daniel, that their marriage will last," Clockwork said with a grin.

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><p><strong>Did you see it? I thought I would throw that in so there would be a happy ending.<strong>


	11. One Month Later

**ONE MONTH LATER**

It was a Saturday so the LYOKO warriors only had half a day of classes. They were sitting in the lunch room talking about classes and homework. Eva's mobile began to ring. She took it out of her pocket. "It's Danny," she said. "Do you mind? I'm supposed to help him with his homework."

"Not at all," said Kayla.

Eva got up and left the lunch room.

"She seems like a completely different person," said William. "Whatever happened in America must have been great."

"Battling the world's most powerful ghost was not on my vacation plans," said Aelita. "I seriously doubt it was on Eva's, either."

"But was it that big a battle?" asked Odd.

"You saw the video," said Jeremy.

"Yeah, I know," said Odd. "You hacked the security cameras and faked the tapes the public would see. I saw the originals. I still find them hard to believe."

"And more than half of it wasn't on camera or even in the same dimension," said Aelita.

"Well, I like this new Eva," said Yumi. "She seems happier."

Kayla smiled. "That's not the only thing," she said. "I keep her medicine supplies stocked. Did you know that she hasn't taken anything to help her get to sleep at night?"

"No," said Ulrich.

Kayla nodded. "I don't think she needs them anymore."

Aelita smiled and giggled. "I think I know why that is."

"Tell us," said Odd.

"Danny's sister, Jazz, is studying psychology," said Aelita. "She said that traumatic events can lead to insomnia."

"Eva's always dealt with that," said Kayla. She caught on. "But if Mackenzie forgave her and Eva forgave herself, she would be able to move on."

"Now that I think of it, she has been more perky," said Ulrich.

"Anyone like to bet that she doesn't keep that hunting knife under her pillow?" asked William.

"I don't think things changed that quickly," said Kayla.

"They did," said Aelita. "I went into her room last week. I was sitting on her bed and I was curious to see if she still had the knife. It's gone. She doesn't keep it there anymore."

"She probably moved it," said Jeremy.

"No, I think she may have gotten rid of it," said Kayla.

"Always the hopeful one," said William, putting his arm around Kayla's shoulder.

"I wonder why she kept it under her pillow in the first place," said Jeremy.

"XANA attacks," said Odd.

"I think she kept it there because she was scared," said Kayla. "She was afraid that someone was going to hurt her."

"No one would, except XANA," said Yumi.

"Or she did it out of guilt," said Ulrich. "She felt guilty because of Mackenzie and she wasn't going to let anything happen to anyone else as long as she was alive. If she was dead, she wouldn't be able to atone for what happened to her little sister."

"But it wasn't her fault in the first place," Odd pointed out.

"It was to her," said Kayla. She poked at her sausage. "But she's forgiven herself. She doesn't need to fear anymore. She can move on with her life. She can finally be a normal teenager."

"Kayla." They all jumped. They didn't hear Eva come back inside and take her seat again. "Nothing is normal about us."

Odd shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe we will get to save the world again sometime soon."

"Don't jinx it," Kayla and Eva said simultaneously.

They all laughed.

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><p><strong>This where the story ends. Am I sad that this is over? Yes, I am. But this series has been going on for so long that it was time to call it quits. Thank you, my readers, for hanging with me through all the posting snafues.<strong>


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